BMW ORACLE Racing posts a loss

by Ivor Wilkins, BMW Oracle Racing Media on 1 May 2007
A gear problem on USA 98 saw the team record its first loss of Louis Vuitton Cup Round Robin Two in Valencia today and saw China Team record its first win of the series so far.

The problem came early in the first windward leg when the genoa sail pulled out of the headstay foil. Efforts by the crew to rehoist the sail proved fruitless when it tore out a second time and USA 98 was left sailing the first windward leg under mainsail only. China Team overtook and then extended to a lead which proved insurmountable in the end, despite significant gains by BMW ORACLE Racing on the remaining three legs.

Race summary: USA 98 dominated the start, luffing up sharply just before the gun to force China Team almost head to wind. At the gun, USA 98 leaped away into an early lead and was extending up the windward leg in a fresh 12-15 knot breeze when misfortune struck the BMW ORACLE Racing boat. China Team led by 5 minute 15 seconds at the first mark rounding. USA 98 reduced that by more than 1 minute downwind and the crew managed to hoist and secure a headsail for the second beat. At the finish, China Team led by 3 minutes 15 seconds.

Ian Burns, BMW ORACLE Racing design coordinator: 'We will remove the rig and do a thorough inspection overnight. Obviously, we will take remedial action to ensure this does not happen again. We had a similar problem in Act 13, but the two incidents happened in completely different circumstances. We will be ready to race tomorrow.'

Sten Mohr, BMW ORACLE Racing helmsman: 'Obviously, we are very disappointed at what happened today. We were looking forward to our race against China Team and were optimistic for a different outcome.'