BARCELONA :Britain and Italy fought out two closely-contested races on Monday in the America’s Cup challenger series, leaving the first-to-seven event finely poised at 3-3 as they bid to take on defenders New Zealand for the ‘Auld Mug’.
With a stiff Mediterranean breeze off Barcelona below the maximum level of 21 knots for racing, both crews relished the high-octane sailing at speeds sometimes exceeding 50 knots in calmer seas than they had experienced the previous day.
The winners of the Louis Vuitton Cup get to challenge New Zealand for the ‘Auld Mug’, which dates back to 1851 and is known as the oldest trophy in international sport.
In the first race, the British capitalised on the Italians getting caught by a momentary loss of control in their foiling AC75’s rudder to rip across the start line and establish an early lead, which they defended to the end.
With close-quarter tack-for-tack engagement, British co-helms Ben Ainslie and Dylan Fletcher tried to slow Italy’s Jimmy Spithill and Francesco Bruni with ‘dirty air’ from their rig.
“They came back well … They pushed us really hard. The guys did a good job to defend and keep the boat on its feet,” Ainslie, 47, said of the tight contest.
“We take each race as it comes … We know we are up against a class team,” Ainslie said on the America’s Cup live broadcast.
The Italians had experienced a “little problem” with the foil, Bruni said, adding that from there it did not go their way in the first race of the day.
Italy turned the tables on Britain in the second race, stamping their authority on their opponents to even the scores.
Bruni said the conditions had made for “very enjoyable” racing after the Italians dominated the second contest, sailing a near perfect race in their ‘silver bullet’, as their AC75 is known because of its sleek lines and metallic finish.
