Louis Vuitton Cup - Day 5

Two wins for BMW Oracle in the first two races on day 5 of the Louis Vuitton Cup © Gilles Martin-Raget / BMW ORACLE Racing

Finally some racing on day 5 of the Louis Vuitton Cup © Ingrid Abery / www.hotcapers.com

Mascalzone Latino Capitalia Team are the early heroes at the Louis Vuitton Cup

On the fifth day, they raced. Following four difficult days where racing was postponed due to a lack of wind, the Louis Vuitton Cup started on Friday with Flights 1 and 2. The Italian Mascalzone Latino - Capitalia Team were the early heroes, beating the top ranked challenger, Emirates Team New Zealand in Flight 1. The Italians won their second match as well, to vault up the leaderboard.

Racing took place in light conditions with winds between six and 10 knots. Before racing, the challengers agreed to change the schedule for the remainder of the Louis Vuitton Cup in order to make up for the lost days. Flights in Round Robin One will be sailed in order, and completed, before the beginning of Round Robin Two. Thus, Friday will see Flights 3 and 4 on the schedule.

Flight 1:

Racing started on time on the south course where BMW ORACLE Racing and Luna Rossa scored predictable wins respectively over United Internet Team Germany and China Team.

The closest race down south was between evenly matched Victory Challenge and Team Shosholoza. Paolo Cian at the helm of the South African boat won the start causing Victory Challenge to tack away. Victory was bounced out to the starboard layline by Shosholoza but the two boats remained neck and neck up the beat, with Victory just managing to hold on to round the top mark 16 seconds ahead. Despite the South Africans remaining close the Swedish team were able to extend, particularly down the final run, to win by 46 seconds.

The biggest upset came on the north course. In the match between Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team and Emirates Team New Zealand, the Italians benefited from choosing the right side of the course out of the start and quickly pulled ahead. Dean Barker and his crew were unable to challenge them on the first beat with the Italians rounding the top mark 19 seconds ahead. The Kiwis appeared to have a small speed edge on the run, reaching the leeward gate on the transom of Mascalzone Latino, but Vasco Vascotto and team sailed their own race for the next two legs and led Emirates Team New Zealand across the finish line ahead by just 15 seconds, earning a tremendous victory for the Italians.

Flight 2:

While there was no overturning of the form book as there was in Flight 1, Team Shosholoza entered the history books, putting South Africa's first ever point on a Louis Vuitton Cup scoreboard when they led United Internet Team Germany around the race track to win by a comfortable 1:10.

BMW ORACLE Racing's match against China Team was decidedly one sided, Chris Dickson and his crew leading Pierre Mas' Franco-Chinese team from the start, and going on to finish 4:36 ahead.

The margin was not so large for the match between Victory Challenge and James Spithill's crew on board Luna Rossa. Magnus Holmberg at the helm of the Swedish entry got the better of Spithill in the start and was able to keep his boat ahead for much of the first beat. But eventually, the speed of Luna Rossa prevailed, the Italian team getting another two points on the board, finishing ahead by 1:07.

The most aggressive pre-start of the day was when Desafío Español 2007 flew into the pre-start box and straight into the losing end of a port-starboard incident with +39. However the Spanish led out of the start and with their better boat speed had pulled out a large enough lead to carry out their penalty turn before rounding the top mark, without losing their lead. +39 tried valiantly but the Spanish extended as the wind went light on the final run to cross the line 2:45 ahead.

Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team proved again that their ITA 99 has pace. While skipper Vasco Vascotto kept it close in their match with the French Areva Challenge team, they were barely challenged and crossed the finish 1:41 ahead, and scoring their second win of the day.

Louis Vuitton Cup - Provisional Results:

Flight 1:

Flight 2:

Louis Vuitton Cup - Round Robin One - Provisional Leaderboard:

Update from BMW Oracle:

Louis Vuitton Cup racing begins with two wins to USA 98

BMW ORACLE Racing opened its account in the 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup with two convincing wins in Valencia today. After losing four days of racing through lack of wind, the pattern was interrupted enough for organisers to complete two full flights of matches today.

USA 98 made its racing debut today in the best possible way, with wins over United Internet Team Germany and China Team – both with convincing margins of two minutes or more. Racing took place in a breeze that hovered just above the minimum starting strength of 7 knots for most of the afternoon.

BMW ORACLE Racing navigator Peter Isler commented: “It was a great racing debut for USA 98. We were proud to bring home two wins for the whole team after four years of hard work.”

Race One summary: The two yachts started on starboard tack in breezes that were just above the 7-knot lower limit for racing. Skipper Chris Dickson and the USA 98 crew were to leeward of the German yacht and slightly ahead. USA 98 established an early lead, rounding the first mark 44 seconds ahead and then stretching the margin on every leg to take the victory gun by 2 minutes.

Race Two summary: The two yachts came off the line on starboard tack at the Committee Boat end of the line with Chris Dickson and the USA 98 crew to leeward and ahead. USA 98 quickly established a sizeable advantage over the China Team, leading around the first mark just short of a minute ahead and then rolling out to a very convincing 4min 36 second lead at the finish.

Peter Isler quotes: “We could not have asked for a better way to start the Louis Vuitton Cup. It was a great day. The crew did a nice job and the boat performed really well. The big question today was how would everybody react after four days of no racing and waiting for the wind. I think we got high marks for that. The boat felt fast and we were pleased with the performance.“

Update from Luna Rossa:

Double victory for Luna Rossa in the first day of the Louis Vuitton Cup

After a four day delay round robin 1 of the Louis Vuitton Cup got underway in Valencia. At the start of the weather conditions on the course saw calm seas, partially cloudy skies and a 7-11 knot breeze from the east – south – east.

At the five minute gun James Spithill and Pierre Mas face off in a long dial-up. ITA 94 is the first to fall off to starboard with China Team following. Luna Rossa continues defending the right and Spithill cuts the start line on port on the Committee boat end. CHN 95 incurs in a penalty for failing to keep clear from ITA 94 during the pre-start. From the get-go Luna Rossa is in command of the race rounding the top mark with a 42 second delta. ITA 94 pulls away widening the gap on every leg and continues to sail on the right hand side of the course. Luna Rossa wins with a 2 minute and 07 second final delta, the first victory of the Louis Vuitton Cup 2007.

In the second flight of the day Luna Rossa raced against the Swedes of Victory Challenge. ITA 94 enters the pre-start area from starboard and pushes SWE 96 into an immediate dial-up. Spithill is the first to fall off to port, closely followed by Holmberg. Luna Rossa is quick to circle and get back on the Swedes tails, pushing them out of the box. Spithill doesn’t let go and seems to want the right hand side of the course tacking just before the starting line. Shortly after the start Luna Rossa passes in the lead, consolidating the margin up the first beat. At the windward mark ITA 94 has a 8 second delta. On the run Luna Rossa stretches out even more and at the first cross ITA 94 is over 150 meters ahead of Victory Challenge while continuing to protect the right. At the leeward gate de Angelis and his afterguard opt for the starboard buoy and round it 39 seconds before SWE 96. Up the second beat Luna Rossa continues to gain on her opponent and when Victory Challenge rounds the top mark ITA 94 is already 200 meters into her final run, sailing towards the finishing line. Francesco de Angelis and his crew continue to maintain the command of the race and Luna Rossa wins her second race with a final delta of 1 minute and 6 seconds on Magnus Holmberg’s Swedish boat.

Update from Victory Challenge:

“A fantastic feeling”

“It’s a fantastic feeling to start racing,” says Richard Mason, backstay grinder, about the fact that the challengers’ series, the Louis Vuitton Cup, has finally begun after four days of delayed races.

“It was a great day for us, winning our first race was important for our confidence.”

Victory Challenge beat Team Shosholoza by 46 seconds, but lost to Luna Rossa Challenge.

There was enough wind in Valencia today, even if it was light, to hold flights 1 & 2 of the Louis Vuitton Cup. Thus the final showdown in the 32nd America’s Cup has begun.

Victory Challenge raced the teams they should really have met on Monday, the South African Team Shosholoza and Italian Luna Rossa Challenge.

Järv (SWE 96) was the faster boat in the match against Team Shosholoza and led at each rounding and into the finish.

“But there were more puffs of wind that are normal for a sea breeze. On the second beat they closed in surprisingly quickly,” says Stefan Rahm, tactician.

The lead had shrunk to eleven seconds before the final run. However the last run was problem-free for Victory Challenge.

“The win was vital for the team’s confidence.”

In the match against Luna Rossa Challenge, Victory Challenge was a threat on the first beat.

“We had the same boat speed on the beat, but they had a slight advantage on the run,” says Stefan Rahm.

“But it’s always just as tough to lose against Luna Rossa Challenge.”

The day’s biggest surprise was in the first flight, when Italian Mascalzone Latino convincingly defeated the top team, Emirates Team New Zealand.

“I see it as an indication of how the Louis Vuitton Cup will be, with many unexpected victories and many unexpected losses,” says Richard Mason.

“There are great opportunities, also for us, for beating the big teams.”

After the cancelled sailing on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, due to too little wind, the race organisers, along with the Challenger Commision, have decided to adjust the race programme. The original idea was to let the planned race programme carry on and put in delayed matches afterwards in the reserve spaces, also in round robin two.

Now the decision has been taken to instead finish sailing round robin one first, in the right order.

This means that flights three and four will be sailed tomorrow, Saturday; Victory Challenge meets China Team and BMW Oracle Racing.

Update from Team Shosholoza:

South Africa's Team Shosholoza has made history by being the first ever African challenger to win a race in the Louis Vuitton Cup, the challenger selection series for the 2007 America's Cup. In a tremendous victory for the entire African continent the South African first timers at the America's Cup led United Internet Team Germany from start to finish to pull off a resounding 1 minute 10 seconds win.

The South Africans took control in the early part of the pre-start dial up to win the start bang on the gun with the Germans crossing 11 seconds later and splitting to the right. Shosholoza kept a slim lead on the Germans up the first beat but not without a ding dong battle trading tacks all the way. But slick sailing saw the South Africans taking the Germans way off to the right of the starboard lay line to round the first windward mark two boat lengths and 16 seconds ahead. Shosholoza continued to gain on the downwind spinnaker run rounding the leeward gate 19 seconds ahead and then pulled out again with four boat lengths on their opponent to round the top mark with a 25 second lead. In the final dash to the finish the South Africans more than doubled their lead to over 10 boat lengths when the Germans discovered a hole in their spinnaker and had to peel to a new one. Cheering, hooting and hollering greeted the South Africans as they swept across the finish line.

"Big relief, our victory against the Germans means a lot to me. The conditions were difficult with such light winds", says the German Tim Kröger.

In the first flight of racing today the South Africans were disappointed to lose a critical fiercely fought duel against the Swedish Victory Challenge by a mere 46 seconds. Dubbed as the headline challenge of the day it was a crucial middle order battle as Victory Challenge is one of Shosholoza's closest competition for a place in the semi-finals.

"It is so good to finally sail and to have the first points. Certainly we are disappointed to loose against Victory Challenge - but we are happy to beat the Germans", said skipper Mark Sadler.

Team Shosholoza had also a secret weapon on board today in the form of Hollywood star, Ralf Möller who played Hagan in the movie Gladiator alongside Russel Crowe. Möller who at 6.5 feet towered over Shosholoza's tallest crew, mastman Magnus Doole and at 122 kg weighs 2 kg more than the team's biggest grinder Johann Spilhaus, was at the South African base early this morning to inspire the South Africans at the pre-race team meeting with some roaring Gladiator talk.

"I'd like to teach you a little of the spirit of the gladiator but looking around here today I see that many of you fit into this character already. I feel really happy to be here. I feel part of the family already," said a beaming Möller who impressed everyone with his fighting talk and crunching hand shake. He said he wanted to encourage the South Africans to believe in themselves, trust in themselves as individuals to take the lead and yet learn to work together to create a great team. He said this was particularly important when working together on such a small space like a boat.

Journalists, TV crews, sailors and the team's special visitor 82 year old Andrew Mlangeni, who spent 26 years of a life sentence imprisoned on South Africa's Robben Island all jostled to have a few words with the gregarious giant who was seen leaving the dock in the 18th man spot cheering the crew on with his fists in the air.

Team Shosholoza is up against the big guns of the America's Cup in tomorrow (Saturday's) two flights of races. They will race America's BMW ORACLE Racing in Flight 3 and Italy's Luna Rossa in Flight 4.

Today's win put South Africa in a fifth place tie with Emirates Team New Zealand (the challenger leader going into the Louis Vuitton Cup) and Victory Challenge. BMW ORACLE Racing leads, followed by Italy's Luna Rossa Challenge and Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia all of whom won two match races today. Mascalzone caused the upset of the day by beating Emirates Team New Zealand.