Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series Fukuoka - Practice Day
by 35th America's Cup 18 Nov 2016 11:38 GMT
18-20 November 2016
The stage is set for the final weekend of racing in the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series.
The ultimate event is taking place in Fukuoka, Japan this weekend, the first America's Cup racing in Asia, and showcase event for SoftBank Team Japan, the first Japanese Cup challenger in 15 years.
Land Rover BAR has a 14 point lead over ORACLE TEAM USA going into the final races in the two-year series.
But with 90 points on offer over the six races scheduled on Saturday and Sunday, the fight for the title is still open.
"It is very close in terms of the overall points. We have a bit of a gap to the other two boats, but in reality we're going to have to sail really well this weekend if we want to end up on top in the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series," said Ben Ainslie. "We have to do the absolute best we can."
While second placed ORACLE TEAM USA has their sights set on the top of the leaderboard, the team could be forgiven for looking over its shoulder at Emirates Team New Zealand, who are just three points back. But skipper Jimmy Spithill says the focus is on taking a win.
"We never think about looking after second place," Spithill said. "We are here for the win. No question, it's Ben's to lose but stranger things have happened. We'll be giving everything we can to try and reach the top."
The spotlight this weekend won't only be on the leaderboard. For SoftBank Team Japan, this weekend marks an opportunity to bring America's Cup racing to Asia and Japan for the very first time.
SoftBank Team Japan sailor and general manager Kazuhiko Sofuku sailed with previous Japanese challenges, but this is the first time he's been able to race in his homeland.
"I'm very excited to be here and already I feel like this is going to be a really big event," he says. "There is so much enthusiasm from the media and the fans and I know ticket sales have gone very well. I am looking forward to seeing everybody who is going to come out to see us this weekend.
"For us as a team this could be the perfect way to keep building up our performance. We were third in Chicago and Portsmouth, then second in Toulon and we keep improving so as long as we do that the results will follow."
On Friday, the teams took to the water for Official Practice racing, with SoftBank Team Japan taking a popular first race win.
Four races were completed in light to moderate conditions. The final race of the day was the designated substitute race, which may be scored over the weekend should conditions not be suitable for racing. Series leader Land Rover BAR took the win, with ORACLE TEAM USA in second place.
Six races are scheduled over the next two days - three on Saturday, and three more worth double points on Super Sunday.
Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series Leaderboard:
Land Rover BAR --- 437pts
ORACLE TEAM USA --- 423pts
Emirates Team New Zealand --- 420pts
SoftBank Team Japan --- 399pts
Artemis Racing --- 391pts
Groupama Team France --- 360pts
lvacws-fukuoka.jp/en/index.html
Practice makes perfect on Friday in Fukuoka
ORACLE TEAM USA had a strong day on the water on Friday in Fukuoka, Japan, ahead of racing in the ultimate event of the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series.
With a scoreline of 2, 1, 3, 2, on the official practice day, the team is prepared to make a late push for the top of the series leaderboard in an effort to secure the bonus points available to the top two teams at the conclusion of the series.
"It was some great racing today," said skipper Jimmy Spithill. "The course was nice and close to shore, there were a few passing lanes, it was nice to get at it. We had some good battles."
For Spithill, who needed to sit out the last event in Toulon due to an injury, it's a welcome return to the race course.
"It's been a while. I tore the tendon off my elbow in Portsmouth and unfortunately had to sit out the last event in France," said Spithill.
"It's pretty difficult to sit on the sidelines, but I took it as an opportunity to see it from outside and learn from a different perspective. But I'm hungry as ever now to try and bounce back and work with the guys to get us some points."
The final race of the day was the designated substitute race, which may be scored over the weekend should conditions not be suitable for racing. ORACLE TEAM USA earned what could prove to be a valuable second place in that race.
Six races are scheduled over the next two days - three on Saturday, and three races, with double scoring points, on Sunday.
ORACLE TEAM USA is in second place on the overall leaderboard - a good result in this final event in Fukuoka could result in the team taking the win.
"We are here for a win and we'd love to get to the top. We'll be doing everything we can to overhaul the leaders," Spithill said. "I think it will come down to those last races on Sunday."