INEOS Britannia starts Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Final with two victories over the Swiss
by INEOS Britannia 14 Sep 11:42 PDT
14 September 2024
INEOS Britannia achieved two victories against Alinghi Red Bull Racing on the first day of the Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Final © Ivo Rovira / America’s Cup
The Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Final (Challenger Selection Series) opened with a pair of impressive wins for INEOS Britannia.
The British Challenger of Record, representing the Royal Yacht Squadron Ltd in the 37th America’s Cup, finished both races against Alinghi Red Bull Racing with a lead exceeding 1300m. The British team selected Alinghi as their competitor after winning the Round Robin group stage, which granted them the choice. This resulted in the other Semi-Final matchup being Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (ITA) versus New York Yacht Club American Magic (USA). The first team to achieve five race wins in each matchup will advance to the Louis Vuitton Cup Final.
INEOS Britannia Co-Helm Dylan Fletcher commented: “It’s wonderful to secure a couple of wins on the first day of the Semi-Final, but we know we can’t become complacent; we must continue striving for more performance out of Britannia. Our shore team has put in considerable effort to achieve progress, and we feel we’re building momentum, so we eagerly anticipate more racing and hope to maintain our upward trend.”
In the first race, the Swiss team had the advantage at the start, but INEOS Britannia was closely trailing, only 40m behind. On the second leg, the Swiss felt the impact of INEOS Britannia’s remarkable downwind speed as the British team made up 120m to overtake and reached the second gate with a 30m lead. This lead grew at the third gate, and after a slow maneuver caused Alinghi Red Bull Racing to lose foil, INEOS Britannia surged ahead even more. In the lighter winds, Ainslie and his crew worked diligently to maintain speed and cleanliness, eventually crossing the finish line with a 1300m and 2min05secs advantage.
The second race featured a dramatic pre-start, with Alinghi losing their foils and drifting off course, resulting in a penalty. The Swiss attempted to utilize their 15-minute delay card, permitted for one use in each stage of the competition, but the race committee had already declared the race live, so the request was denied. Alinghi faced further misfortune with another penalty for a late pre-start entry. INEOS Britannia also faced a hiccup in the light air, almost losing their foils, but managed to recover and gain speed before the start. The British team then dominated the race, leading by 840m at the first gate and extending that lead to 1370m by the finish.
INEOS Britannia Team Principal and Skipper Ben Ainslie stated: “Our start in the first race wasn’t our best. The conditions became a bit light, allowing the Swiss to get ahead right off the line, but the team rallied, and we successfully passed them. The conditions were tricky, puffy, and shifty, but the team handled the boat well. There’s always a risk out there, but the whole crew has been dedicated to improving the boat’s performance. We’ll head out again tomorrow, focusing on one race at a time.”
The crew aboard Britannia included Co-Helms Ben Ainslie and Dylan Fletcher, Trimmers Leigh McMillan and Bleddyn Mon, along with Cyclors Ben Cornish, David ‘Freddie’ Carr, Matt Gotrel, and Matt Rossiter for the first race, and Neil Hunter, Harry Leask, Luke Parkinson, and Ryan Todhunter for the second.
On Saturday, the Italians and Americans clashed in the first race of the day, which started later after American Magic used their 15-minute delay card due to a suspected cyclor issue. The US team resolved their issue to secure a strong start and led across the line. However, the Italians tracked them down and took the lead on the penultimate leg, maintaining it to claim the first win. The subsequent race concluded similarly, with the Americans initially in control but faltering due to a maneuver error, allowing the Italians to secure their second victory of the day.
The second day of the Semi-Final will occur on Sunday from 13:00 BST (14:00 CEST), with two additional races scheduled for each matchup.
