PRADA Cup Round Robin Day 4: A close race right until the finish line
by Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli 23 Jan 2021 03:00 PST
15 January - 22 February 2021
PRADA Cup Round Robin 3 - INEOS TEAM UK vs Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli © COR36 / Studio Borlenghi
Another weekend of racing in Auckland for the PRADA Cup, the Challenger Selection Series that determines the first team to enter the PRADA Cup Final.
American Magic stayed on shore, at work to repair the damage incurred during last Sunday's accident, following which the schedule was revised, leaving only two races to be held between Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and INEOS Team UK on Saturday and Sunday. The racecourse chosen for today's racing was course C, with an average of 17 knots from south-west and significant shifts both in direction and intensity. It was a balanced race, where both boats alternately took the lead throughout the first 3 legs. When reaching the final downwind the British team stretched forward and crossed the finish line 33 seconds in front of Luna Rossa. With this victory, INEOS advances directly to the PRADA Cup Finals and wins the PRADA Christmas Cup trophy that had not been awarded at Christmas.
Shortly before 4 pm Race Director Iain Murray initiates the start procedures but calls for a delay at less than two minutes from the start, when the boats have just entered the entry box, following a big wind shift that requires the course to be turned around.
A further delay is then requested by the English team to fix a problem with their mainsail cunningham, and the start time is now set for 5.20 pm.
Luna Rossa entered the pre-start area from the left, with the British boat on the right and a few seconds of delay. Twenty seconds from the start INEOS was windward of Luna Rossa, and both boats moved towards the left boundary. It was the start of a real match race, with tacking duels among the teams as they alternated the lead. At the first gate Luna Rossa was on port tack; despite tacking in front of INEOS, the British were at full speed and managed to round the mark on the inside and take the lead.
On the downwind both crews fought for the best puffs, reaching speeds of over 45 knots. The British rounded the gate with a 9-second lead but on the second leg Luna Rossa stretched forward and moved in front. The next saw Luna Rossa rounding first. Halfway down the last downwind leg Luna Rossa called for a protest that was denied by the umpires and INEOS crossed the finish line ahead.
Max Sirena, Skipper and Team Director "Today's race was interesting but also very complicated, with big shifts in wind direction and intensity. We need to analyze our performance in all aspects that were not perfect and understand where we can do better. On the downwinds, for example, INEOS seemed to be very fast. Now we are preparing for the semifinal against American Magic and I expect it to be very close and competitive."