Sea, Sail & Surf newsLouis Vuitton Cup
Quarters of final - D4 : Oracle BMW Racing joins Alinghi in semis
First point for Le Défi Areva against Victory Challenge
samedi 16 novembre 2002 –
TOP LEAGUE
- Oracle BMW Racing se qualifie pour les demi finales
- Photo : F.Socha
Match 2 Oracle BMW Racing USA 76 wins against OneWorld USA 65 (33")
Today’s race marks the end of the Quarter Finals with OneWorld down four races to Oracle BMW Racing at the end of the series. OneWorld will choose their opponent to race in the Quarter Final Repechage which is scheduled to begin on November 23rd. The pair of boats sailed off the start with Oracle BMW having the slight advantage over OneWorld’s USA 65. The boats sailed up the first beat, with Oracle protecting the left side of the course and extending their lead. USA 76 maintained control but on the second downwind leg OneWorld fought back and came within 12 seconds of USA 76 at the bottom mark. USA 76 protected its lead to the finish crossing the line 33 seconds ahead of OneWorld. "This is a marathon not a sprint. We have a long road ahead. We have also been through a lot over the last two years and if any team can pull it off its ours," said Helmsman, James Spithill.
Source OneWorld Challenge
BOTTOM LEAGUE
- Le Défi est revenusur les Suédois pour les battre
- Photo : F.Socha
• Match 3 Le Defi FRA 69 wins against Orm SWE 73 (34")
From the start, Philippe Presti show his crew was full of energy as they were first to cross the line. But Orm is faster upwind and Victory Challenge men were able to close the gap early. The black IACC Boat controled the yellow one to round mark one ahead as she did in the first two rounds of the race.
With a deep advance against the french crew at the fourth mark,, the swedis team was dreaming of the quarter of repechage against Prada or OneWorld. They forgot to control their opponent and let him sailing far in the right side of the course.
Thanks to a big shift in the right, Areva was able to come back in the race and dispute the leading position to the swedish boat. That’s what she did by rounding the last buoy ahead. Unfortunately for the northern european challenger, the yellow boat is fast downwind and they never been able to close the gap to come back.
French team finaly take its first point in the quarters and now has to win the last three races to be able to win against the Victory Challenge. Big challenge !
- Trois victoires consécutives pour Stars and Stripes
- Photo : F.Socha
• Match 4 Stars & Stripes USA 77 wins against Wight Lightning GBR 70 (34")
Stars & Stripes race against Britain’s America’s Cup America's Cup #AmericasCup contender Wight Lightning was over before it started today as American skipper Ken Read dominated his rivals in pre-start maneuvers and never looked back.
The New York Yacht Club’s challenger for the America’s Cup America's Cup #AmericasCup led all the way, winning by 34 seconds to log her third consecutive victory over the British boat in the Louis Vuitton Cup Quarter Finals.
"This was a great all-round effort from the Stars & Stripes crew in one of the toughest matches we’ve had," said Read. "It was shifty, there were big holes, it was flukey . . . the kind of day when you can’t be too far ahead. The wind was the strongest at the top end of the course, which meant that the lead boat was always sailing the spinnaker run into areas of lighter breezes, while the trailing boat brought more breeze down. It was nerve-wracking because we’d develop a nice lead and then watch it evaporate."
Threatening rain squalls and heavy 26-knot gusts in advance of an approaching cold front lashed the racers as they completed today’s match on a cool, gray day with shifty westerly winds averaging 16 to 22-knots.
With their backs to the wall, the British sailors overnight made an underwater modification to their boat. In another change, skipper and principal helmsman Ian Walker took over the helm from the regular starting helmsman Andy Beadsworth.
Walker was in trouble three minutes before the starting gun as Read chased him away from the line and then led the way back, already 14 seconds in front, with a 60-yard lead.
Stars & Stripes converted her starting line advantage to a 35 second margin at the first weather mark and covered every subsequent move of the British boat‚s wave of continuing attacks. The American boat gained on four of six legs although the British closed up within 14 seconds at the end of the second spinnaker run.
Source Team Dennis Conner
RACE 4
Match 1 Alinghi SUI 64 bat Luna Rossa ITA 74 (abandon)
Match 2 Oracle BMW Racing USA 76 bat OneWorld USA 65 (33")
Match 3 Le Defi FRA 69 bat Orm SWE 73 (34")
Match 4 Stars & Stripes USA 77 bat Wight Lightning GBR 70 (34")
| Challenger 1 | pts | pts | Challenger 2 |
| Alinghi Challenge SUI | 4 | 0 | Prada Challenge ITA |
| Oracle BMW Racing USA | 4 | 0 | OneWorld Challenge USA |
| Victory Challenge SWE | 3 | 1 | Le Défi Areva FRA |
| GBR Challenge GBR | 1 | 3 | Team Dennis Conner USA |
Dans la même rubrique
Louis Vuitton Cup : Quarters of final - D3 : Alinghi qualified for the semis
Louis Vuitton Cup : Quarters of final - D2 : Stars and Stripes only team to equal scores
Louis Vuitton Cup : Quarters of final : First wins for Alinghi, Oracle, Victory and GBR Challenge
Louis Vuitton Cup : Round Robin 2 / Matches 7 & 5 : Oracle BMW Racing takes second place
