Emirates Team New Zealand win the Louis Vuitton Cup
by Emirates Team New Zealand & Luna Rossa Challenge 26 Aug 2013 16:26 AEST
25 August 2013
Emirates Team New Zealand wrapped up the Louis Vuitton Cup final on Sunday with an emphatic light-air win over Luna Rossa Challenge.
Dean Barker and crew threaded their way through a fog-shrouded San Francisco Bay to win by 3m 20s.
Emirates Team New Zealand goes through to Challenge Oracle for the America's Cup, with the first race on September 7.
New Zealand won the start and was never threatened. Luna Rossa, though, acquitted themselves well in the final series and the 7-1 score line reflected less sailing time in the AC72 than Emirates Team New Zealand.
Their development programme was several months behind that of ETNZ and, in the end, time on the water was probably the decider.
It has been good working with them over the past 18 months ashore and as a training partner.
Luna Rossa announced today they will sail with us in the final build-up for the America's Cup. They will help Dean Barker and the sailing crew test modifications that will be made this week and keep sharp with some race training.
Barker said after racing today that it had been the most difficult day on the water on the water they had encountered in the Louis Vuitton Cup with the fluky and shifting breeze and sailing in and out of the fog.
"We've in San Francisco to win the America's Cup, so winning the Louis Vuitton Cup is all part of the preparation.
"The team is extremely focused. We came up short in Valencia in 2007 and we'll give it our all now in the next few weeks to make sure we're as ready as can be."
Luna Rossa skipper Max Sirena: "Again Emirates Team New Zealand did a great job. They managed the pre-start and the race well. They are a really strong team and I'm looking forward to seeing them racing in the match.
"We started this team late and the main goal for us was to do well in this Louis Vuitton Cup. We are proud of what we achieved. No one was putting us in the Louis Vuitton Cup Final one and a=half years ago.
"I'm proud of all the work done by the team. I said to the guys just before the finish that today starts the new challenge for the next America's Cup. We're going to be stronger next time."
Louis Vuitton Cup Final Standings:
- Emirates Team New Zealand – 7
- Luna Rossa Challenge – 1
Race 8 Performance Data:
- Course: 5 Legs/10.26 nautical miles
- Elapsed Time: ETNZ – 33:49, LR – 37:09
- Delta: ETNZ +3:20
- Total distance sailed: ETNZ – 11.9 NM, LR – 12.3 NM
- Average Speed: ETNZ – 21.27 knots (24 mph), LR – 20.04 knots (23 mph)
- Top Speed: ETNZ – 41.19 knots (47 mph), LR – 38.73 knots (44 mph)
Luna Rossa Challenge faced Emirates Team New Zealand for the last time in the eighth race of the Louis Vuitton Cup 2013 Finals (from Luna Rossa)
Luna Rossa Challenge faced Emirates Team New Zealand for the last time on Sunday in the eighth race of the Louis Vuitton Cup Finals. The New Zealanders scored the seventh point required to gain the access to the America's Cup against the Defender Oracle Team USA.
Luna Rossa Challenge launched its challenge for the 34th America's Cup on November 2nd 2011. The AC72 was launched on October 26th 2012 and the boat sailed for the first time in New Zealand on November 2nd 2012. Less than one year later Luna Rossa Challenge was racing against her opponents and won the semi-finals, thus gaining access to the Louis Vuitton Cup Finals; it was the third final for Luna Rossa out of four America's Cup campaigns.
Max Sirena, skipper of the team, declared: "In one year and a half we built a young and competitive team that, with only one boat designed on a first generation project, advanced to the Louis Vuitton finals. Even if we made huge improvements during the last few months and weeks, this was not sufficient; if we had four more month to develop the boat we would have been more competitive. Congratulations to Emirates Team New Zealand for the deserved victory and we wish them the best luck for the America's Cup."
Patrizio Bertelli, team Principal of Luna Rossa, stated: "Since her first challenge Luna Rossa has become a model team and a benchmark in the America's Cup. This is proved by the fact that many important people who are in other America's Cup teams come from Luna Rossa. For the third time we have advanced to the Louis Vuitton Final and have achieved the goal we set ourselves when we launched our challenge, one year and a half after the other teams. I want to thank every single team member for the job and the efforts they have put in this campaign. Now we are focused on the future."