China Team lose to Luna Rossa in nail-biter finish

by Jenny Cooper on 10 Feb 2009 In the closest finish seen in AC boats in many years, China Team lost this morning to Luna Rossa in the first Challenger Sail Off raced today as the Italians were able to unwind a penalty right on the finish line as China Team swept in.

The finish was so close that no one could call the finish and we waited for over a minute before the race committee could confirm the placings.
Today’s result places China Team 7th overall in the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series after topping the Silver Fleet in Round Robin Two with 3 consecutive wins.

Due to a problem with the K-Challenge boat, between the French and British Team Origin was delayed and the race committee went straight to the China Team / Luna Rossa flight.
Once in the start box Luna Rossa were quickly awarded a penalty for tacking in front of China with Ian Williams being forced to alter course. Both boats crossed the line tightly together on starboard close to the committee boat. China Team was just to leeward while the Italians were a few metres ahead.

Carrying that penalty set the scene for the remainder of the race. With the choice to either try to foul China Team or to simply extend the distance enough to conduct the penalty turn, Peter Holmberg helming Luna Rossa took the second option.

The left side of the course was most definitely favored and against an ebbing tide it became a drag race to the top with only one tack to the mark. With China trailing 14 seconds behind they were still within striking distance of Luna Rossa. By the bottom mark the distance had only increased to 19 seconds so the race was still close. Luna Rossa’s drop was not as clean and they struggled to get their already dropped kite down the forward hatch.

In dying breeze but still clocking to the right, the boats were on their way to the newly laid top mark. Luna Rossa worked hard up the beat to extend their lead to 24 seconds, but they desperately needed it to be closer to 35 seconds to allow for their penalty turn. Being the first race of the ‘knock out’ Challenger series only added to the tension aboard the spectator fleet.
On the final downwind leg, the Italians stretched out to have over a 4 boat length lead but as they came closer to the finish line, China Team came down carrying fresh breeze and doing over a knot faster than Luna Rossa. With the headsail up early and a neat drop, Luna Rossa went into her turn. China came thundering down and as Luna Rossa completed her turn no one could pick who would win. A gun went off but very few apart from the Race Committee were prepared to call the winner for over a minute until confirmation by radio. China Team had lost by less than one very frustrating second. It will be a race to remember from the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series as the closest race to date. With more racing to come over the next four days with some of the top teams who is to say whether we will see more photo finishes like that before the week is out.

Ian Williams came and spoke to the media later in the afternoon and commented on the race. ' With the boat end being so strongly favoured and the huge right hand shift, it meant it was a very one sided track and therefore a lot less options. With the tide and this bias it allowed [Peter Holmberg] to extend his lead'.

Ian continued adding comments on China Team and it’s overall performance. 'We came here to the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series as the only team with no training and that put us on the back foot for a bit. But we improved with every race and once into Round Robin 2 we got the chance, through sailing the easier teams first to stay one step ahead. We have done what we came to do and that was to create a spring board for the team to go out and get sponsorship to take the next steps. We assembled a great team for this regatta many of whom have extensive AC experience and they were able to assist me in understanding the capabilities of the boats. Overall, this series has been truly fantastic especially for creating the opportunity for smaller teams to get on board state of the art boats and race.'

In today’s other race Team Origin beat K-Challenge by 1 minute 52 seconds in an exciting match with the French incurring a penalty for failing to keep clear whilst in the midst of a luffing duel.

There was no more racing today due to unstable wind conditions. Quarter Final races start tomorrow with Team Origin meeting Damiani Italia and Luna Rossa challenging BMW Oracle.

Timings:
Mark 1: 14 seconds
Mark 2: 19 seconds
Mark 3: 24 seconds
Finish: less than 1 second

For more information and photos go to:
www.chinasailing.ning.com