Luna Rossa beats BMW Oracle in first race

by Luna Rossa Media on 15 May 2007
The first race of the Semifinals against BMW Oracle Racing kicks off in very unstable wind conditions, with the breeze gusting up to 18 knots from the west south west and sunny skies on the Romeo northern course.

Spithill has the favored starboard entry but Dickson manages to cross ahead of his bow and goes on to sail among the spectator fleet on the right hand side of the pre-start box. USA 98 keeps her distance and continues to have the windward advantage on the starting line. After the first two tacks Luna Rossa is in the lead, separates towards the left hand side of the course and at the top mark ITA 94 has a 52 second margin thanks to a good interpretation of the race course by the afterguard.

Halfway down the first run BMW Oracle soaks up the lead from the right hand side and is head to head with Luna Rossa. Close to the leeward gate USA 98 sails in close to ITA 94 from leeward, pushing Luna Rossa beyond the port layline. After the gybe Spithill maintains his position overlapped inside of the mark and rounds the port mark with a 7 second lead on Dickson.

Luna Rossa continues to sail on the left hand side of the course and halfway up the beat ITA 94 has gained 400 meters, rounding mark three with a 1 minute and 21 second lead. Luna Rossa continues to keep her opponent in check on the last leg and ITA 94 wins the first Semifinal with a 2 minute and 19 second final delta.

At the end of the race Torben Grael said: 'A race with wind coming from the land: in these cases the breeze tends to be very shifty and it’s difficult to have a traditional match race. You really need to position yourself well on the course. On the first downwind leg we gybed a little too early and we had a problem at the end of the run. Jimmy was very good at rounding the mark we wanted. We firmly believed in the left and went for it although we knew the possibility of a right shift existed.'

After having sponsored Luna Rossa’s 'unveling day' mondoBIOTECH has confirmed its support to the Italian challenge. As of today the company’s logo can be seen on the masts of the team’s boats. mondoBIOTECH is an independent Swiss Drug Designer Biotech Company which specializes in the development of pharmacological and biotech products for neglected diseases.

Crew

1. Skipper - Francesco de Angelis
2. Helmsman - James Spithill
3. Tactician - Torben Grael
4. Navigator - Michele Ivaldi
5. Afterguard - Ben Durham
6. Traveller - Andrew Horton
7. Runner - Magnus Augustson
8. Main Trimmer - Jonathan McKee
9. Main Grinder - Gilberto Nobili
10. Trimmer - Joe Newton
11. Trimmer - Christian Kamp
12. Grinder - Emanuele Marino
13. Grinder - Andrew Taylor
14. Pitman - Simone de Mari
15. Mast - Shannon Falcone
16. Mid-Bow - Max Sirena
17. Bow - Alan Smith
18. 18th man - Patrizio Bertelli

Today’s results - 'Louis Vuitton Cup' - Semi finals - Race 1

Luna Rossa Challenge (ITA 94) wins against BMW Oracle Racing (USA 98)
Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL 92) wins against Desafio Español 2007 (ESP 97)

'Louis Vuitton Cup' - Semi finals - Results table

Semi final A
Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL 92) 1
Desafio Español 2007 (ESP 97) 0

Semi final B
BMW Oracle Racing (USA 98) 0
Luna Rossa Challenge (ITA 94) 1


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