At a glance
America’s Cup World Series results day one:
Team New Zealand b Luna Rossa by 3m 13s.
American Magic b INEOS Team UK by DNF (+5m)
Luna Rossa b INEOS Team UK (Retired)
American Magic b Team New Zealand by 12s
Dean Barker, on the wheel of American Magic, followed up his practice win over the Kiwis last Tuesday with a victory of far more significance.
They have fired a shot across the bows of the defenders at this very early stage of what will be a long summer of action.
The US syndicate has put in more time than any rival in these radical boats and it showed with a day of consistency when others around them were dogged by inconsistencies.
That included the Kiwis who, after humbling Luna Rossa by more than three minutes, struck some technical issues of their own in the pre-start against the Americans and again got into some questionable judgment calls as they successfully battled their way back into the race.
Match-racing suddenly turned real and it was the Kiwis who ultimately paid the price, losing ground on costly turns at both the bottom and top marks to eventually lose by 12 seconds.
But the raw data will have been just as encouraging to the Americans who edged Team New Zealand in boat speed both upwind and downwind.
With that edge Barker managed to hold on under some intense pressure that included the first tacking duel of the competition.
Lightning quick against the Italians, the Kiwis were suddenly confronted by something in their own class.
It was a perplexing day on many levels, though it showed the need for precision in preparation and crew performance in boats that throw up problems when least expected.
The loss will hurt Team New Zealand but the result will encourage America’s Cup fans, adding some real fascination to the racing format to go with these ridiculously quick craft.
Team New Zealand are desperate for racing action and it showed why yesterday. They
Race 1:
Race 2:
Race 3:
Race 4: