36th America's Cup: Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli remain locked
The honours were shared again on the second day of racing in the 36th America's Cup Match to poise the first-to-seven contest at 2-2. Racing continues on Saturday, and every race day will be live on Sky Sports from 3am.
Friday 12 March 2021 09:10, UK
The defender and the challenger of the 36th America's Cup - Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli - remained locked after the first two days of racing.
Exactly like the opening day on Wednesday, the two teams enjoyed a victory apiece on Friday, which ensures the contest for the oldest trophy in world sport remains finely balanced at 2-2.
Both outfits had spent Thursday's day off training and working on their race boats, and now they will race on successive days until a winner is decided.
In the first race of the day on Friday, as they did during the PRADA Cup Challenger Selection Series, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli showed their agility in the lighter conditions.
With a wind speed of around 9-10 knots, the Italians secured a 37-second victory. Emirates Team New Zealand then responded strongly, with a 63-second triumph of their own in the fourth race.
This America's Cup Match is a first-to-seven victories series and lighter wind speeds are forecast again on Saturday.
With host city Auckland moving back to COVID-19 Alert Level 1, all race courses will now be available for the organisers to select between, as opposed to the limited number which were initially used to try and prevent crowds gathering onshore.
Italian confidence in the lighter winds
After an even start to race three, with both teams crossing the line at almost exactly the right time, the Italians then showed their tactical nous to stifle the progress of their opponents early on.
They positioned themselves perfectly to disrupt the Kiwis' wind and once they had done that, Jimmy Spithill and Francesco Bruni used their boat's agility and speed to create a lead they never relinquished.
By the first gate, Luna Rossa were nine seconds ahead, and as the race continued, Emirates Team New Zealand were forced into trying to split the course and find different ways to get back into it.
As much as they tried, the defenders could not make significant dents in Luna Rossa's lead. Instead, in the lighter conditions, the Italians sailed a largely clean race and held onto the advantage that they had created early on.
The tale of the pre-start
The fourth race of the day was a tale of two different pre-starts - a positive one for the defenders and one that hindered the challenger's progress from the outset.
As both teams approached the start line, Emirates Team New Zealand created just enough space for themselves while Luna Rossa got too tight and were forced into a position they did not want to be in. Unlike in race three, the Kiwis reached gate one first.
Throughout the defender showed their pace, particularly downwind, and in the closing moments of the second leg, the Italians struggled with their gybe and slowed down significantly.
This mistake cost them further distance (and time) meaning their race was run, while Emirates Team New Zealand flexed their muscles and looked to show what race boat Te Rehutai can do.
Lessons coming thick and fast
After the teams returned to shore, the overarching assessment was both are continuing to learn more and more about each other as the contest goes on.
Emirates Team New Zealand headed into this America's Cup Match off the back of a significant amount of development time, but they hadn't hit out against any opponent since December
"We're learning where you can and can't sit behind someone in these boats," Burling said about their pre-start in the first race.
"To then execute a bit better in the last 30 seconds [of the pre-start] in that second race was pleasing for us to be able to bounce back from that first loss.
"We're learning all the time. We've had four starts [pre-start duels] in a tight environment like this, in the last three months. Whereas Luna Rossa have come out of a pretty tight series, so we definitely feel like we're getting better and better."
We proved that we can win races in the light winds, we knew that but it's nice to prove it. We proved that we can win the America's Cup, I think.
"Both teams sailed two good races each," Spithill said.
"The scoreline doesn't lie, the results don't lie. The team that won deserved to win, they made fewer mistakes and that's sport.
"From an event point of view, it's fantastic to see. All squared up and all the play for.
"The Italian team are excited and pumped. It's been a relentless campaign; we've come through the challengers, the semis, the final. They're an incredible bunch, very passionate, emotional and very, very hard workers.
"We've got a lot of support down here and obviously back in Italy too. We're ready to fight."
Watch every moment of the America's Cup challenge, live on Sky Sports. Coverage continues with the third race day of the 36th America's Cup Match on Saturday from 3am.
