There was little between Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa. Photo / Photosport
There was little between Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa. Photo / Photosport
Ahead of the America's Cup Match, there was plenty of talk about how much faster Team New Zealand's AC75 was compared to that of Luna Rossa, and not if but when the defender would retain the Auld Mug.
It took just two races for that to be laid to rest.
Luna Rossa, who have sailed the most races and have been improving their performance at every stage, matched their counterparts for boat speed on the opening day of racing as the sides finished the day 1-1.
For many, the competitive racing seemed to come as a surprise, with even the broadcast team acknowledging that those doubting Luna Rossa were being made to eat their words.
When asked by a local reporter about if he had a message to those who wrote Luna Rossa off before racing even started, co-helmsman Jimmy Spithill responded: "You mean people like you? You guys never get it wrong, do you?"
There was little between Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa. Photo / Photosport
In the opening race of the best-of-13 series, Team New Zealand's average upwind and downwind speeds were about 1kt faster than Luna Rossa, however the Italians' maximum speed of 48.01kts was faster than that of the Kiwi outfit (46.90kts).
In the second race, Team New Zealand were again the faster boat – this time by less than a knot on both the upwind and downwind legs. In that race, Team New Zealand reached a top speed of 51.11kts to Luna Rossa's top speed of 49.78kts.
Luna Rossa co-helmsman Francesco Bruni said they were yet to see Team NZ's supposed speed advantages.
"There was a lot of talk about Team New Zealand being five, eight, 10 knots faster. That was clearly not the case," Bruni said.
"We're glad that we can just race and try to win this."
As Luna Rossa have shown, making the boat faster via off-water development is key to a successful America's Cup campaign and, as the schedule is set out, the teams may now have just one more day to find the best version of their boat.
The crews will have a day off racing on Thursday, before returning to action on Friday, and every day following until a winner is found.
Speaking to Newstalk ZB, Spithill said Thursday could prove to be vital.
"The team that's able to [keep developing and get faster] will win, and both teams now really only have the opportunity for a full day.
"It's very, very important how we use that. We've got to go through all the data and have to go through all the footage, but we've got a few things planned and we're looking forward to it – the boys have already started ripping into it in the sheds."
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.
