Luna Rossa team director Max Sirena. Photo / Luna Rossa / Carlo Borlenghi
Luna Rossa team director Max Sirena. Photo / Luna Rossa / Carlo Borlenghi
OPINION:
When you really think about it, the America's Cup is hilarious.
On the water, it's a spectacle; a display of elite sailing and, this time around, innovative vessels that are designed to be sailed above the water and capable of reaching speeds above 50 knots (90 km/h). But thegames on land involved with the event are almost as fun - if you're a spectator.
How many other elite sports are there in which two teams involved in the competition have the power to make the rules, or bend them on the fly? If the defender and challenger of record come to an agreement on an issue, it can be written into law.
Most recently, the upper wind limit has been lowered from 23 knots to 21 knots, while the 15-minute race delay card trialled late in the round robin phases to allow teams to sort any niggling issues just before the race has been reinstated.
Sir Ben Ainslie, skipper of the challenging Ineos Team UK syndicate, says he had been consulted by the defender, Team New Zealand, and challenger of record, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, about the changes and hinted his team would have preferred the wind limit to stay where it was.
But that's not how the game is played. If you're not the defender or the challenger of record, you don't get a seat at the table.
Those competing know this, yet somehow Luna Rossa have found themselves with the tag of event bad guys because of a couple of decisions they have made off the water.
"It's part of the game," Luna Rossa team director Max Sirena says of being made out to be the villain.
"They're playing quite hard on showing us as the bad guy when, in reality, we're probably too nice. We should be harder on them, but that's not the way we operate."
Luna Rossa team director Max Sirena. Photo / Luna Rossa / Carlo Borlenghi
The first came after just one day of round robin racing, when the team protested a sail control system used by Team UK. While an investigation into the system found it was not performance enhancing, it did not comply with the regulations and the protest was upheld. As a result, Team UK were fined and given a warning (now being referred to as a yellow card). Should they pick up another they will lose a point on the scoreboard in the Prada Cup final.
Team UK have asked for the warning to be dropped ahead of the final series, but would need the challenger of record to sign off on that. And given the two go head-to-head in the final, why would they? As Sirena says, all they did was protest a system which was subsequently found to be illegal.
One writer in the UK recently labelled the protest "the cheapest of cheap shots". In what other elite competition would you be called out for wanting everyone to follow the rules?
"Why do I have to be the bad guy because I protested someone who isn't complying?" Sirena asks.
"But this is the America's Cup; there are a lot of psychological games.. .if they think we're going to be fragile because they're saying we're the bad guy, they've chosen the wrong guy – because I don't really care."
Luna Rossa co-helmsmen Jimmy Spithill and Francesco Bruni. Photo / Brett Phibbs
The second issue came ahead of the Prada Cup semifinals, when they decided not to reinstate the 15-minute delay window for the series against American Magic, who were coming in after a 10-day repair job on their boat and with limited sailing. Something as the challenger of record they were well within their rights to do.
Luna Rossa went on to win the semifinals 4-0, booking their spot against Team UK in the final for the chance to challenge for the America's Cup in March.
"We just want to have a sport event and want to respect the rules, and that's the problem; we are probably the only one that wants to respect the rules until the end. Building cases around protests or wind limits or whatever, we'll leave that game to the other guys," Sirena says.
"We're happy with what we're doing, we have nothing to regret and we have nothing to cover or protect. We are here to try to win an event and we are working towards that."
Yes, the event has to inevitably be won on the water where the better sailing has the last say. But this is a competition in which two teams are in a position to give themselves the best chance at coming away with the prize at the end of the long, winding road.
Yet somehow Luna Rossa have not only been billed as the villain; the opposing challengers have made the challenger of record fall into that role with ease.
At the end of the day, what have Luna Rossa actually done wrong?
Don't hate the player, hate the game.
Heading into the Cup racing?
• Give yourself plenty of time and think about catching a ferry, train or bus to watch the Cup.
• Make sure your AT HOP card is in your pocket. It's the best way to ride.
• Don't forget to scan QR codes with the NZ COVID Tracer app when on public transport and entering the America's Cup Village.
