Ainslie’s £80m dream is over

SIR BEN AINSLIE’S America’s Cup dream is over after his Land Rover BAR team were beaten 5-2 by New Zealand in Bermuda yesterday.

Trailing 3-1 overnight in their semi- final, the British team needed to win at least two races to stay in contention.

They pulled one back, but after a bad start in the final race, the Kiwis opened up a 300-metre lead and saw out a 46second win.

It brought an end to Ainslie’s hopes of adding an America’s Cup triumph to his five consecutive Olympic gold medals, after a two-year campaign that cost an estimated £80million. ‘I was really proud of the way the team sailed today and the way we approached the whole series,’ said Ainslie (right).

‘The whole team, the designers, the shore team, the sailing team, everyone worked really hard to get us competitive.

‘We did that throughout the competition. A huge thank you to everyone back home supporting us. We will be back next time and we will be stronger. We were struggling in some conditions, certainly in the light airs. We were able to address that to an extent. Ultimately we didn’t quite get there in time but it was not through lack of effort.’ It was nothing if not an eventful match. On Monday Britain had a disastrous start when they were forced to forfeit the first two races after their wing sail snapped. Then on Tuesday New Zealand’s boat spectacularly capsized to give Ainslie’s side their first point. That doubtless made their win all the sweeter.