Emirates TeamNZ Wins Louis Vuitton Act 2

Emirates Team New Zealand wins the Valencia Louis Vuitton Act 2

Valencia Spain, 12th October - Emirates Team New Zealand is the winner of Act 2 of the 32nd America’s Cup after all racing was cancelled on Tuesday. Principal Race Officer Peter Reggio managed to squeeze off the first Flight on the schedule just after noon in a light Westerly breeze, but the wind soon died, and the leg time limit of 40-minutes expired for all of the matches, forcing them to be abandoned.

The Race Committee and the teams stayed out on the Gulf of Valencia most of the afternoon in hope that the wind would build enough to allow racing, but their patience was in vain, and racing was cancelled for the day just after 15:30. As there are no more race days left for Act 2, each team is awarded one half point for matches not raced, as dictated under the Rules. With every team receiving a further 1.5 points, the leaderboard is unchanged from Monday.

The result leaves Emirates Team New Zealand alone at the top with 11.5 points, one point clear of Luna Rossa. The Kiwis are perhaps fortunate to escape second Round Robin matches with Team Alinghi and BMW ORACLE Racing, although they can rightly point out that they beat both of those teams in the first Round Robin and defeated the Italian Luna Rossa in Round Robin Two, thus earning their status at the top. Luna Rossa was the only top team to beat the Kiwis.

Luna Rossa is the other team to claim defeats over each of the other ‘big three’ across the two Round Robins, but its loss to the Kiwis on Monday in a light air match is the difference between first and second place. BMW ORACLE Racing, the winner of the Marseille Louis Vuitton Act in September and Team Alinghi, the Defender of the America’s Cup, will be unaccustomed to their final positions in third and fourth on the table. Team Alinghi lost to each of the teams ahead of it, as did the BMW ORACLE Racing squad, which squeeze s ahead of Alinghi by virtue of winning their first Round Robin match.

This would have to be considered a successful regatta for LE DEFI who defeated each of the teams on the bottom half of the ladder at least once. The last of the teams sailing a 2003-generation boat, the French team was aggressive on the starts, and generally performed well. Their French rivals on K-Challenge, sailing a 2000-generation boat were able to beat DEFI in the first Round Robin, although that loss was avenged in their second meeting.

K-Challenge too had a good week here, scaring a few of the big teams by leading for some of their matches, but in the end, K-Challenge had to be content with those ‘moral victories’ over the big teams, claiming its points against DEFI and the two teams below it on the points table.

+39 earned a pair of wins on the race course, all the more remarkable for the paltry big boat experience of the crew. This Italian team can likely claim to have le arned the most during the week.

The South African Team Shosholoza is another squad that benefited from the racing here, although it had nothing to show for it on the points table. Shosholoza also competed well against some of the bigger teams, and threw a fright into its opposition on multiple occasions, but in the end, the team sailing the oldest boat at this regatta failed to pick up a victory on the water.

The Valencia Louis Vuitton Act 3, a four-day Fleet Racing regatta is due to begin on Thursday, with seven races scheduled through Sunday. There is no racing on Wednesday.

Louis Vuitton Act 2 – Provisional Results and Leaderboard

Round Robin Two - Flight 5
Match 1 FRA 69 versus USA 71, race cancelled
Match 2 ITA 59 versus RSA 48, race cancelled
Match 3 NZL 81 versus SUI 64, race cancelled
Match 4 FRA 57 versus ITA 74, race cancelled

Round Robin Two - Flight 6
Match 1 ITA 59 versus FRA 57, race cancelled
Match 2 ITA 74 versus RSA 48, race cancelled
Match 3 NZL 81 versus USA 71, race cancelled
Match 4 FRA 69 versus SUI 64, race cancelled

Round Robin Two - Flight 7
Match 1 ITA 74 versus ITA 59, race cancelled
Match 2 RSA 48 versus FRA 57, race cancelled
Match 3 FRA 69 versus NZL 81, race cancelled
Match 4 SUI 64 versus USA 71, race cancelled

Leaderboard
Team Name: (Points) Matches Won / Sailed / Cancelled

Emirates Team New Zealand (11.5) 10 /11 /3
Luna Rossa (10.5) 9 /11 /3
BMW ORACLE Racing (9.5) 8 /11 /3
Team Alinghi (9.5) 8 /11 /3
LE DEFI (5.5) 4 /11 /3
K-Challenge (4.5) 3 /11 /3
+39 (3.5) 2 /11 /3
Team Shosholoza (1.5) 0 /11 /3

** Point ties are broken in favour of the winner of the last match between the tied teams
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The Marseille Louis Vuitton Act 1 of the 32nd America’s Cup - Valencia, took place from the 5th through to the 11th of September combining Fleet and Match Racing.

The Valencia Louis Vuitton Act 2 of the 32nd America’s Cup - Valencia, is a Match Racing event from the 5th - 12th October.

The Valencia Louis Vuitton Act 3 of the 32nd America’s Cup - Valencia, is a Fleet Racing event, from the 14th – 17th of October.

Racing for the 32nd America’s Cup - Valencia will continue in 2005 and 2006, with several more Acts in various locations, including Valencia, the Host City of the 32nd America’s Cup.

In 2007, a fleet race event will precede the Louis Vuitton Cup, whose winner will then race the Defender, Team Alinghi, in the America’s Cup Match in Valencia
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SINCE 1851, THE AMERICA’S CUP HAS TRANSCENDED THE SPORT OF SAILING TO BECOME A SYMBOL OF THE PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE.

LOUIS VUITTON, ENDESA, GRUPO SANTANDER AND THE AMERICA’S CUP SHARE A HERITAGE RICH IN PASSION, IN NOVATION AND EXTRAORDINARY HUMAN ACHIEVEMENT…

LOUIS VUITTON, ENDESA, GRUPO SANTANDER AND THE AMERICA’S CUP – THE STAGE FOR CREATING LEGENDS.
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THE 32ND AMERICA’S CUP – VALENCIA ENJOYS THE SUPPORT OF NESPRESSO, ADECCO, DOCKWISE AND FORD; OUR SUPPORTERS, AND VALUABLE CONTRIBUTORS TO THE AMERICA’S CUP.

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