America's Cup - Oracle Team USA engineer come-from-behind win

by Oracle Team USA on 2 Jun 2017 Oracle Team USA made an 'unforced error' in the pre-start that allowed SoftBank Team Japan to grab an early lead but skipper Jimmy Spithill and tactician Tom Slingsby were able to fashion an impressive come-from-behind win.

Holding the starboard tack advantage in the start, SoftBank Team Japan was able to dial-up the American defender, preventing Spithill from entering the start box and pushing them outside the boundary for a penalty.

Oracle Team USA trailed by 18-seconds at the start and 26-seconds at mark one. But from then, the fightback was on.

'It was a bit of an unforced error in the pre-start,' said wing trimmer Kyle Langford. 'We got off on the backfoot, but we worked our way back into it.'

At the second bottom gate, Sptihill and tactician Tom Slingsby sacrificed distance with an extra maneuver to pick up a split heading into the final upwind leg in a bid to make a pass.

The separation produced a good gain, and on the next cross, Oracle Team USA was able to split sides for a second time and take the lead.

'We always want to get that split at the bottom mark if we're trailing and Tom did a great job of that. We got into different pressure and ultimately that's what won us the race.'

At the top gate for the final time the lead was firmly with Oracle Team USA and at the finish, Spithill and team had a 32-second advantage.

'The boys really kept their composure and Tommy did a great job of getting us back in the race and as you can see, it's never over in these boats,' Spithill said after the race.

'The Japanese allowed us a split and let us go,' Spithill said. 'It was a great move by Tom and that was it.'

The crew on board for racing on Thursday:

• Skipper / Helmsman -- Jimmy Spithill
• Wing Trimmer -- Kyle Langford
• Tactician / Grinder -- Tom Slingsby
• Grinder -- Louis Sinclair
• Grinder -- Sam Newton
• Grinder -- Ky Hurst

The win means Oracle Team USA is sitting on a six - one record, at the top of the leaderboard.

Results and Leaderboard - Louis Vuitton America's Cup Qualifiers (Team -- wins / losses -- points)

• Oracle Team USA -- 6 / 1 -- 7 points (including 1 bonus point)
• Emirates Team New Zealand -- 6 / 1 -- 6 points
• Land Rover BAR -- 3 / 5 -- 5 points (including 2 bonus points)
• SoftBank Team Japan -- 3 / 4 -- 3 points
• Artemis Racing -- 2 / 5 -- 2 points
• Groupama Team France -- 2 / 6 -- 2 points

(Ties are broken in favor of the highest finishing position in the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series.)