TNZ’s lead too big to close — US pundit

Sailing commentator Ken Read is so confident Team New Zealand will win the America’s Cup that he has booked his flight out of Bermuda on Tuesday.

Racing continues in the America’s Cup final regatta tomorrow morning ( New Zealand time) with Emirates Team New Zealand needing four more race wins over Oracle Team USA to claim the Auld Mug.

With two races each day Peter Burling and his team could be celebrating by Monday — something that television commentator Read is banking on as he doesn’t expect Oracle to pull off a comeback.

“I changed my flight to go home on Monday let’s put it that way. I don’t see it,” the American told the Radio Sport Breakfast yesterday.

Read, who was helmsman for Dennis Conner’s Stars & Stripes campaigns in 2000 and 2003, said the gap between Team New Zealand and Jimmy Spithill’s Oracle Team USA boat in the first four races is too big to close.

“It was such a huge discrepancy I think everybody was stunned,” he said.

“The shocking thing [ is] Oracle, I think they really thought . . . they were up to speed and everything was going to be okay. Oh my goodness were they wrong. And these are incredibly talented sailors and right now it’s very clear they miss something.”

There has been plenty of talk since race four ended on Monday that Oracle will be using the considerable break to conjure up some changes of their boat like they did in San Francisco four years ago.

On that occasion Oracle Team USA took a layday option when trailing Team New Zealand 8- 1 in the series and on their return to the water was much faster, leading to the amazing comeback victory.

Read said there is a big difference to that San Francisco campaign and this year’s event in Bermuda.

“I think the real question is ‘ is this situation different . . . from San Francisco?’ That’s what all of New Zealand wants to know. The fact is — it’s a completely different scenario. These are essentially one- design boats. I think if you put a gun to a Kiwi on Team New Zealand in San Francisco they would have said Oracle had a better boat. New Zealand had it way better optimised as they entered the finals and Oracle figured out all the buttons to push and finally just blew them away with boat speed,” Read said.

“This time around let’s face it — it’s different. These boats are in essence one design, there aren’t nearly enough buttons to push. Oracle is going to have to pull a major rabbit out of the hat to come even close to the speed of New Zealand right now because it’s about as impressive a display as I have seen in the America’s Cup. Amazing actually.”