Kiwis set up AmCup rematch with Oracle
Sweden beaten
GREAT SOUND, Bermuda, June 13, (RTRS): Emirates Team New Zealand sailed into a revenge match against holders Oracle Team USA for the 35th America’s Cup by convincingly beating Sweden’s Artemis Racing 5-2 in the Challenger final in Bermuda on Monday.
New Zealand are looking to avenge their humbling defeat by the US team in San Francisco in 2013 when they were on the losing end of one of the greatest ever sporting comebacks.
With their striking black, red and white hulls and “wing” foil and revolutionary “cycling” system for powering their on-board hydraulics, the New Zealand team led by Glenn Ashby and helmed by Peter Burling have been hot favourites throughout.
They bounced back from a near-catastrophic capsize last week when racing Land Rover BAR, getting their 50-foot (15 metre) catamaran and towering wing foil repaired in time to beat the British crew and progress to the Challenger final.
Although Artemis Racing put up a keen fight, the New Zealand crew consistently had the edge in pace and manoeuvrability, with Burling calmly driving his high-speed craft around Bermuda’s Great Sound as his “cyclors” pedalled non-stop to provide the power needed to control the vast “cat”.
There were celebrations aboard the New Zealand catamaran after they crossed the line nearly a minute ahead of the Swedish boat after an earlier race had to be abandoned when the wind dropped away and left both teams drifting.
But the wind held for the second race and after getting the better of Sweden’s skipper Nathan Outteridge at the start, Burling, the youngest helmsman in the competition, sailed superbly to take the win from his long-time rival.