MADRID, 17 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
NYYC American Magic made a great comeback this Sunday at the end of the first Preliminary Regatta of the 37th America’s Cup and won in Vilanova i la Geltrú, ahead of the current champion Emirates Team New Zealand in an exciting battle.
The American team won with 34 points, compared to the New Zealander’s 33, despite starting fifth on the last day. The crew made up of Tom Slingsby, Paul Goodison, Riley Gibbs and Michael Menninger offered a master class in competition and with two victories and a second place they were declared winners.
The lack of wind in the match-race prevented the final fireworks, but the triumph of NYYC American Magic was more than a struggle with Emirates Team New Zealand. The champion won the third regatta, two were held on Saturday, but the American team won the next two. The Orient Express Racing Team, after only 15 days sailing with the AC40, was third.
Furthermore, Alinghi Red Bull Racing and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli had a particular battle, but a failure in the Swiss gear before the start of the third deprived the fans of the spectacle. The defeated was the INEOS Britannia, which realized that its lack of time with the ship turned against it. Skipper Ben Ainslie will try to solve this problem before the next regatta in Jeddah at the end of November.
Grant Dalton, CEO of America’s Cup Events, was pleased with the regatta as a whole. “I think Vilanova have been incredible. I’ve been to the Race Village a few times and felt the atmosphere. The weather conditions have done everything possible to disrupt us, but I think the America’s Cup is going to be a great event and that’s how I perceived it with the volunteers and the public,” he said.
“I reflect on how well the event has been run; Leslie (Ryan, the event director) and the team have done a really good job and received great support, and this means there will be a good team for the future. There will be “a lot of work to review everything and continue improving, because the America’s Cup has to be the reference, but the people have been incredible, and this is the best of all,” he added.