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Barcelona, ​​​​Spain (September 26, 2024) – What was revealed on the first day of the Louis Vuitton Cup final between INEOS Britannia and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli? The obvious thing was that every challenger won a race. What was less obvious was that everyone lost a race.

With a strong southwesterly “Garbi” breeze that exceeded the upper wind limit of 21 knots on more than one occasion, sailing in rough seas over the eight legs was a battle for survival. With speeds of over 52 knots on the downwind runs, the AC75s were at their limit.

In the opening race, the British botched the start and the Italians took no prisoners. The broadcast had to pull back the camera to capture both boats in the same frame as the Brits slowly dropped to 700 meters during the race. That's not close unless the lead boat is eliminated. That wasn't the case.

After some delays due to the maximum wind speed of 21 knots being exceeded – which happened for the first time at the 37th Louis Vuitton America's Cup – Race 2 started.

Both teams came off the starting line more balanced and the British held their position to the leeward, the Italians on their hip. This alignment remained on the border and the British were able to maintain control as both teams tacked to port. The British were ahead throughout the race, but Italy were never far behind and nowhere near as far back as the British were in the first race. Hmmm…

“I thought the performances were pretty similar, they made a few maneuvering errors in that first race and we were able to get out,” noted Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli starboard helmsman Jimmy Spithill. “In the second race they sailed very cleanly, so there wasn’t much in terms of performance, but of course we’ll check that tonight.”

Sir Ben Ainslie, Captain of INEOS Britannia, commented on the performance profile of the two AC75s: “It's hard to really interpret the performance. I think when both boats got to the front they controlled the race well and it's always a bit hard on the boat behind in situations like this.

“When you watch, it’s hard to understand how hard these boats are to sail. We were completely on the red carpet all day, the foils were cavitating, literally every foil, and we were seriously trying to maneuver the boat in these circumstances. It requires every ounce of concentration, concentration and fitness from the cyclists to get the power down, So a total team effort on a day like today, but it was great fun.”

The first team to win seven races wins the Louis Vuitton Cup.

With the series tied after the two opening day races, the schedule calls for teams to return for two more races on September 28, when lighter conditions are forecast. Races start at 2:00 p.m. CEST and run until 4:30 or 5:00 p.m. depending on the race schedule.

View details – Race information – Results – Weather forecast

Following the publication of the AC37 Protocol and AC75 Class Rule on November 17, 2021, the AC75 Class Rule and AC Technical Regulations were finalized on March 17, 2022. The registration period extended from December 1, 2021 to July 31, 2022, although with a delay. Registrations for the 37th America's Cup could be accepted until May 31, 2023. The defender was due to announce the venue on September 17, 2021, but postponed the announcement and finally confirmed Barcelona on March 30, 2022. The 37th America's Cup begins on October 12. 2024.

Teams announced to challenge defender Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL):
• INEOS Britannia (GBR)
• Alinghi Red Bull Racing (SUI)
• Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team (ITA)
• NYYC American Magic (USA)
• Orient Express Racing Team (FRA)

Preliminary regattas 2023-24
14th-17th September 2023 (AC40): Vilanova i la Geltrú, Spain
November 30 – December 2 (AC40): Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
22-25 August 2024 (AC75): Barcelona, ​​Spain

2024 Louis Vuitton Cup Challenger Selection Series*
August 29th – September 9th: Double Round Robin
14th–19th September: Semifinals (Best of 9)
September 26th – October 7th: Final (Best of 13)

*Team New Zealand only competes in the round-robin phase, but the results of their races have not been included in the challenger rankings.

America's Cup 2024
12–27 October: 37th game (Best of 13)

For competition details click here.

In addition, 12 teams will participate in the Youth America's Cup and Women's America's Cup.

Notice Board: https://ac37noticeboard.acofficials.org/
Event details: www.americascup.com/en/home

Source: ACE, Scuttlebutt