BMW ORACLE Racing and Desafío Español faced "must win" races on Sunday at the Louis Vuitton Cup. The Spanish won and live to race another day. The Americans lost and have been eliminated from the Louis Vuitton Cup.
The American team took to the water with a new skipper in Gavin Brady and new helmsman in Sten Mohr as previous skipper/helmsman Chris Dickson stepped off the boat. But it didn’t change the result - Luna Rossa Challenge led around the race track again, sealing the series win.
BMW ORACLE Racing
The Spanish, in contrast, made no crew changes, apart from regular crew rotations. Helmsman Karol Jablonski started the boat to the right of the NZL 92 and eked forward by just a few metres with a tiny right shift. They managed to lead into the top mark by just 12 seconds and protected that tiny margin the rest of the way around the track.
Racing started in a building 10 knot Northeasterly breeze. By the top mark, the wind had increased, topping out near 15 knots. An enormous spectator fleet, numbering in the hundreds took in the action, supporting the home side, Desafío Español, who earned a terrific victory.
Luna Rossa Challenge punched its ticket to the Final of the Louis Vuitton Cup on Sunday with its fourth consecutive win over BMW ORACLE Racing. The Italian challenger heads to the final pairing at the Louis Vuitton Cup for the second time. In 2000, Luna Rossa beat AmericaOne to win the challenger selection series and advance to the America’s Cup Match.
Emirates Team New Zealand vs Desafio Espanol 2007
Who Luna Rossa will face is yet to be decided. Desafío Español 2007 won its second match in its series against Emirates Team New Zealand yesterday. The scoreline is now 4-2 for the Kiwis, who need one more win to advance to the Final.
Racing will resume at the Louis Vuitton Cup on Tuesday, with Emirates Team New Zealand against Desafío Español 2007.
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