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November 17, 2010 |
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On this page, LVT Dubai Day 4 Statements: Emirates Team New Zealand Nips BMW Oracle Everything came together at Dubai today great weather, a good steady 11-13 knot sea breeze, two evenly matched teams and very close racing. Dubai got a treat from the resulting demonstration of match racing at the highest level as Emirates Team New Zealand and BMW Oracle raced twice. The honors were even Oracle won the first race and Emirates Team New Zealand the second handing Oracle its first defeat of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai regatta. It was classic, close match racing. Each win was set up in the pre-start. Then the leading boat benefited from the breeze on the right of the course on the beats and defended aggressively shutting down the options for the trailing yacht. BMW Oracle won the first match by 19s. Emirates Team New Zealand won the second by just 1s. Skipper Dean Barker said of the racing: We pushed hard in the first race but couldn’t get around them. The second was very tough, especially when they got better breeze in the left on the runs and whittled away our lead. It was a tough race and a good one to win. The first clash featured a rash of penalty calls and a breeze that favored the right of the course. Oracle started at the committee boat end of the line and that proved to be the place to be. Oracle was able to control the action and Dean Barker and crew were unable to break the grip. Several close encounters near the top of the first beat brought out the protest flags. The umpires were unimpressed and raised the green flag on every occasion. Oracle rounded the mark 9s ahead. Barker attacked down the run and a composed Oracle crew kept its collective cool. At the bottom mark the margin was again a mere 9s, Oracle going right and ETNZ left. The right of the course paid well in the second half of the long beat and Oracle was able to extend to 21s at the third mark. Every eye on board the New Zealand boat was looking for a passing lane on the final beat. There was none. Barker closed the distance but Oracle managed a win by 19s. In the second race, Oracle was looking comfortable in the pre-start when Barker pounced in the last minute, grabbing the initiative and getting the benefit of the line bias at the committee-boat end, taking the right of the course and controlling the race from there. On the second run, Oracle picked up some good breeze in the left and advanced at pace, cutting into Barkers lead and almost made it. The margins at the marks were close mark 1 11s, mark 2 8s, mark 3 8s and the finish just 1s. Emirates Team New Zealand is sitting second on the points table after four days racing, with a race in hand: 1. BMW Oracle Racing, 7-1, 7 pts 2. Emirates Team New Zealand, 4-3, 3.5 pts * = 3. Artemis Racing, 3-4, 3 pts = 3. Synergy Russian Sailing Team, 3-5, 3 pts = 3. All4One, 3-5, 3 pts 6. Mascalzone Latino Audi Team, 3-5, 2 pts * * Scoring penalty deducted by Umpires -- From ETNZ
Emirates Team New Zealand exposed the first cracks in the armor of the dominant BMW Oracle Racing team at the Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai today. The New Zealanders split race wins with the regatta leader, winning their second match by a nail-biting one-second margin over the fast advancing Americans. Oracle skipper James Spithill had won the pairs first match, preserving his teams no-loss record after four days of racing off the host Dubai International Marine Club and putting the Kiwis on the back foot. In an about-face, New Zealand’s Dean Barker grabbed control at the start of the second race and led the Americans around the course. It was a must-win for the Kiwi team flying the flag of the United Arab Emirates. Down two races before today, and docked half a point for a collision on the opening day, they ideally needed two wins to put a dent in the winning performance of the team that holds the Americas Cup. The scoreboard now has BMW Oracle Racing on seven points and Emirates Team New Zealand in second place with 3.5 points. Sweden’s Artemis Racing, Synergy Russian Sailing Team and the French/German team All4One are third-equal on three points. Italy’s Mascalzone Latino Audi team is sixth with two points. Expectations were heightened at the end of the day when old Louis Vuitton Cup foes America and New Zealand lined up for their first start. Oracles Spithill won the start and claimed the favored right hand side of the course. The Kiwi boat led early but better conditions on the right favored the Americans. Barker kept it close and there were two confrontations at the top of the first leg with flogging sails, shouts and protest flags. The combatants narrowly avoided collisions and all the protests were green-flagged by the on-water umpires. In the second race Barker was pinned by his rival in the pre-start but got out of jail with a minute remaining before the start gun. The right was favored and the Kiwi skipper grabbed it like a drowning man. Barker exploited his edge all around the course, remaining a couple of boat lengths clear of the attacking Americans. However the Oracle teams favorable gybe on the last leg almost robbed ETNZ of their sorely-needed point. It was another good close race, said Emirates tactician Ray Davies. Obviously were going to see a few more races like this so better get used to it. In the last race there was some favorable line bias and pretty much the reversal of what we saw in our first race. It was a bit tricky on that run to the finish but, very happy with the final result. At least a day’s racing remains in the First
Round Robin. All the teams each have two races still to
sail. ETNZ and Artemis have a third match, with the promise
of a one-point advance on the score table for the winner.
Flight One, Race One, Synergy Russian Sailing def All4One, 00:08 - Synergy Russian Sailing team earned a come from behind win with a pass on the first run. But they were given a scare on the short downwind sprint to the finish on the second lap of the course as All4One made a gain with a smoother rounding at the top mark, and some good crew work on their downwind gybes. Although the French-German team was able to pull into an overlapped position halfway down the run, Francesco Bruni and his Synergy crew held their nerve to earn a narrow victory. Flight One, Race Two, Artemis def Mascalzone Latino Audi, 00:39 - This match was all but over before it began as Gavin Brady, at the helm of the Italian boat, picked up a penalty one minute before the start. Attempting to dive down to leeward of Artemis, which was leading back towards the starting line, the bow of the Italian boat clipped the safety wands extending from the transom of the Swedes. Carrying the burden of his penalty all the way around the track, there was nothing Brady and his team could do to recover. An easy victory for Artemis. Flight Two, Race One, All4One def Synergy Russia Sailing, 00:11 - A good start by Seb Col on All4One saw him win the right hand side of the course with his nose forward of Synergy. Bruni, at the helm of the Russian boat, was forced to luff hard to clear the pin end of the starting line, handing the early lead to Col. A tacking duel ensued, with All4One always holding the advantage on the right, which translated into a seven-second lead at the top mark. On the run, Synergy was able to position itself well for the gybe towards the leeward gate and rumbled past All4One to an 11-second lead. But on the second beat, the duo of Seb Col and tactician John Cutler engineered a pass for All4One, successfully fending off a lee-bow tack by Synergy, allowing them to sail the Russian team out past the layline before leading back to the mark and holding on to the finish for an important win. Flight Two, Race Two, Mascalzone Latino Audi def Artemis, 00:38 - A nice timed run start by Mascalzone Latino saw them tight to leeward of Artemis and hitting the line with speed, forcing the Swedish boat to tack away. The Italian team rounded the top mark with a lead of just one length but gained on the run to have a comfortable margin the rest of the way around. Flight Three, Race One, BMW Oracle Racing def Emirates Team New Zealand, 00:19 James Spithill and BMW Oracle won the start, and the right side of the course. Dean Barker and the Kiwis split away to the left for an early advantage but more pressure on the right drove the American boat ahead. Racing was close, close enough for a dial down confrontation at the top of the first beat and a series of protest flags at the top mark, all green flagged. Barker stayed within two boat lengths on the run and attacked with a series of muscle-punishing tacks upwind but Spithill dominated and won comfortably. Flight Three, Race Two, Emirates Team New Zealand def BMW Oracle Racing, 00:01 James Spithill controlled the start until the last minute when Dean Barker got under his guard and pushed BMWOR away from the favored right-hand side. The Kiwi boat controlled comfortably with a two boat lead until the final leg when a crucial gybe saw the Americans advancing to trail by just five meters at the finish. Provisional Results: 1. BMW Oracle Racing, 7-1, 7 pts 2. Emirates Team New Zealand, 4-3, 3.5 pts * = 3. Artemis Racing, 3-4, 3 pts = 3. Synergy Russian Sailing Team, 3-5, 3 pts = 3. All4One, 3-5, 3 pts 6. Mascalzone Latino Audi Team, 3-5, 2 pts * * Scoring penalty deducted by Umpires The Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai is under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, the principal sponsor of the event.
-- From Louis Vuitton Trophy
BMW Oracle Racing ran its winning streak at the Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai to seven races before it came to a halt in a one-second loss. The American crew split two races with Emirates Team New Zealand on Day 4 that left both crews happy but drained after two 30-minute races on short courses with tight, physical racing. Despite suffering its first loss in eight starts, BMW Oracle Racing leads the standings with 7 points on a 7-1 record, good enough to assure victory in this first round of the two-week regatta with two races to sail. “The team’s sailing well and we’re happy,” said strategist Murray Jones of New Zealand. “It would’ve been nice to beat Team New Zealand twice today, but it doesn’t always happen like that. They were good, fun races.” In the first race, skipper James Spithill of Australia guided BMW Oracle Racing to a 19-second win. Taking the right side of the racecourse off the start line, Spithill used his starboard-tack advantage three-quarters of the way up the beat to dial down Team New Zealand and then slam dunk the Kiwi crew, pinning them to leeward with the mark nearby. BMW Oracle Racing led by 9 seconds at the first and second marks, but opened a significant 21-second advantage at the second windward mark. “We wanted to protect the right side most of the beat,” said Jones, a veteran of many close races in America’s Cup Class sloops. “The boys were tacking the boat well and towards the top we got a right-hand shift with pressure. We got that and made a little gain.” While the first race saw the sparring partners request a flurry of penalties on their opponent at the first mark rounding, the second race was less feisty in that regard. But it hardly lacked for action, and in the end produced the closest finish of the regatta -- 1 second. Team New Zealand got the jump off the starting line, gaining the favored right side. BMW Oracle Racing trailed at the first two mark roundings by 11 and 8 seconds, and 8 seconds beginning the .8-nautical-mile run to the finish. “We closed it up nicely on the beat. The tacks were good and we kept grinding away. We put ourselves in position to have a chance,” said Jones. Early on the leg tactician John Kostecki called for a jibe to starboard and halfway down the leg it looked to be a winning move. “The pin end was favored and we were laying it,” Jones said, “but in the last two minutes we started lifting and had to put in another jibe. If that hadn’t happened, I think we would’ve got there.” After racing, the team celebrated trimmer Ross Halcrow’s 44th birthday. Halcrow, of New Zealand, is a two-time Cup winner, with BMW Oracle Racing last February and Team New Zealand in 1995. He has also won the Volvo Ocean Race (2001-02). Tomorrow’s racing schedule sees BMW Oracle Racing taking on Mascalzone Latino Audi Team of Italy, the Challenger of Record for the 34th America’s Cup. Racing isn’t scheduled to start before 12:00 pm. --From BMW Oracle
Mascalzone Latino Audi Team scores yet another important point against Sweden’s Artemis. Vincenzo Onorato’s crew beat on equal terms one of the most feared opponents, in the second one of the day’s race for Round Robin 1 of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai. It was a well deserved victory, even if for the Italian crew the Trophy in the Arab Gulf didn’t start in the best of ways. In the first flight, unfortunately, the pre-start was decisive: Gavin Brady (NZL) picked up a penalty after clipping the safety wands extending from the stern of the opponent’s boat and in the remaining minutes he was unable to get a better position. It didn’t take long for the Swedish boat, helmed by Cameron Appleton (NZL), to build a good advantage over the Italians and there was very little Mascalzone Latino could do to reverse the situation. Artemis went on to win the race by 39 seconds. The second flight was an entirely different story. It was a clean start for both teams but Mascalzone Latino Audi Team immediately built a slight lead over Artemis. A few meters after crossing the line, the Swedes tacked away, opting for the right part of the race course. A spectacular tacking duel took place in the middle of the course in which the “Latin Rascals” kept on adding to their lead meter by meter, increasing their margin as the race progressed. It was a couple of boatlengths at the first weather mark, then 19 seconds at the leeward gate and after a fantastic second beat, Mascalzone beat Artemis by 38 seconds. After today’s races and a total of eight, Mascalzone Latino Audi Team now has two points on the table. There are still a lot of races to fight for and many points to earn and as a result the Trophy is very open. Quotes of the day: This is what commented on today’s races Mascalzone Latino Audi Team tactician, Morgan Larson (USA): “It has probably been our best day yet. Winning one, losing one is not that great but we struggled a little bit this week and we are actually sailing better than what our results show. Still, you prove your ability by what’s on the result board. In the first race it was quite light and Artemis did a beautiful job plus about 30 seconds before the start our bow touched their stern. It was very small but enough to get a penalty. Even if we had passed them we still had the penalty, so it was their race all the way around. In the second race it was an even start, bow to bow all the way up the leg. At the top we got just a little bit stronger wind, Flavio Favini was calling for the left because he liked the pressure, so we just crossed ahead.” Larson concluded by saying: “I think that until today we had some bad luck. The boats broke down on a couple of occasions; we have made some mistakes of our own but that’s just part of the races.” --From Mascalzone Latino Audi
Synergy Russian Sailing Team won one race of two against All4One at Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai on Wednesday. The Russians score 3 points in 8 races of the regatta. Synergy won the first race of the day after trailing on the first run. The Russian Team gained a lead after rounding at the top mark. Then Synergy with Francesco Bruni at the helm was able to hold All4One. The Russians finished the race with an 8-second difference. In the second race All4One and Sebastian Col started well at the right side and forced Synergy to go left and to clear the pin end of the starting line. So All4One got a lead and Synergy trailed by 7 seconds at the top mark. On the run, Synergy was able to position itself well for the gybe towards the leeward gate and rumbled past All4One to an 11-second lead. But on the second beat All4One made a push to come back and win the race by 11 seconds. -- From Synergy Russian Sailing
Racing got off on time today at 1230 with a good sea breeze. We had two races against Mascalzone Latino. Race one was a great race. Mascalzone Latino's helmsman Gavin Brady pushed us hard at the start and we got into control pretty early on. The way the race course is set up, it's easy to stay in control and extend if you do things right. We maintained our lead throughout to win the race by 39 seconds. In race two, we got the start we wanted but the Italian team identified a few things earlier on during the beat. As a result, they just managed to get across us at the last tack at the top mark. They took the lead from there and sailed a good race. Another couple of meters in our favor at the top mark and it could have gone the other way. We are pleased to get another point on the board. This means that we are in a three-way tie for second. Most of the team is off to the gym and we will have a full debrief tonight. It's been a good couple of days racing, we are always building and getting stronger. We have a big learning curve and there is plenty of racing to go. Cameron --From Artemis Links of Interest: Louis Vuitton Trophy:
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