America's Cup: Oracle wins 2-0

Oracle: speeds of up to 33 knots

It's absolutely an awesome feeling. I'm really proud to be part of this team. I couldn't be more proud.

Larry Ellison
Quotes of the week

American challengers BMW Oracle have won the 33rd America's Cup, beating Swiss holders Alinghi in the second race off Valencia to claim the best-of-three series 2-0.

The Swiss holders lost the opening race by a massive 15-minute margin on Friday.

In the second race, software mogul Larry Ellison's hi-tech trimaran beat the Alinghi catamaran by more than a kilometre.

An American team had not won sailing's oldest and most prestigious trophy since Bill Koch's America3 beat Italian challengers Il Moro de Venezia in 1992.

But this was a thoroughly convincing victory for Ellison's boat, a unique trimaran featuring a revolutionary wing-shaped mast and mainsail set-up which is the height of a 20-storey building.

Alinghi, with biotechnology and banking billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli at the helm, finished five minutes and 26 seconds behind after again being completely out-sailed.

Penalty

For the second successive race, Bertarelli's team made an error in pre-start manoeuvres, earning a penalty which had to be executed before they could finish.

The Swiss catamaran did well to lead on the first leg of the 39-nautical mile triangular course, but were then swept aside by BMW Oracle's superior speed.

The carbon fibre and kevlar American boat hit speeds of up to 33 knots - more than four times the speed of the wind - as it surged away on the second leg.

Alinghi raised a red protest flag late on the first leg of the triangular course, but then dropped it after the race.

"It's absolutely an awesome feeling. I'm really proud to be part of this team. I couldn't be more proud," said Ellison.

Ellison's victory means the oldest trophy in international sport is heading to San Francisco's Golden Gate Yacht Club.