BARCELONA, 30 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The final of the Louis Vuitton Cup of the 37th America’s Cup in Barcelona continues with maximum equality after the two regattas this Monday, on a Barcelona regatta course in great conditions and a very favorable wind for the flight of the AC75 of the English INEOS Britannia , which won the first race, and the Italian Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, which won the second with greater solvency.
Everything remains the same, in balance, with 3-3 on the scoreboard of this final that will be decided when a union adds 7 points to its locker. It will then be the turn to prepare for the final challenge and the assault on Emirates Team New Zealand, which as ‘Defender’ awaits a rival. For now, he sees how the wear and tear increases for the two possible ‘Challenger’.
This final of the Louis Vuitton Cup is having everything, from a lack of wind that prevents finishing a regatta within the maximum time established to what was seen this Monday, with the boats literally flying over the water and reaching high speeds close to 50 knots .
In the first race, in the first head-to-head of the day, Luna Rossa made a mistake in the pre-start, almost flattening the boat, and INEOS Britannia took advantage of this to take the lead, with greater speed, and unhinge the boat Italian, who tried everything to take the lead.
It was a new tactical battle in which Luna Rossa stayed close to INEOS, but despite some small errors on the part of the British, who almost lost their flight in a pass over a buoy at the end of the race, the English managed to retain the lead, always veering in response to Luna Rossa’s attempts to turn the tables.
In the last race, both boats headed to the left side of the race course, and Italy was again the first to jibe. With INEOS sailing at tight angles, the Italian challenge awaited a new British error that did not come, as INEOS executed a final jibe to perfection and flew towards the finish line to put the provisional 3-2 on the scoreboard, with 12 seconds to spare.
But in the second race, everything changed. Luna Rossa wanted to equalize the score and this was evident when, after a fierce fight from the start, they held their own in the first crossings to take the lead, with brave decisions carried out to perfection in the water by the ‘helm’ (coxswains) James Spithill and Francesco Bruni.
At the third windward gate, the Italians were still in the lead and passed 17 seconds ahead of the British, and at the next crossing they already had a comfortable distance of about 300 meters. If in the first regatta Italy remained close, stalking INEOS, they could not put up as much of a fight as soon as they saw Luna Rossa fly to victory and make it 3-3 in this final.
And the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli left the last gate 19 seconds ahead. In a divided tactic on the last run, the Italians were clearly ahead and unwilling to give anything away. Jibing on the starboard edge, Luna Rossa flew towards the finish line at 51 knots, 17 seconds ahead of INEOS Britannia.