Luna Rossa are two wins away from advancing to the America's Cup match. Photo / Dean Purcell
Luna Rossa are two wins away from advancing to the America's Cup match. Photo / Dean Purcell
For the crew at Luna Rossa, their approach to their work is a simple one.
"We work for tomorrow," mainsail trimmer Pietro Sibello explained to the Herald.
It's no earth-shattering secret formula to winning races, but it has been doing the trick for the Italian syndicate, who moved within aday's racing of earning the right to play the role of the challenger in the America's Cup match next month.
Yesterday, Luna Rossa etched another win to their tally in the Prada Cup finals, trading wins with Ineos Team UK to take a 5-1 advantage in the best-of-13 series.
With two more race wins, the Italians will move one step closer to an ultimate goal four years in the making. It's an exciting prospect for those who follow the team, but Sibello said the crew themselves make sure not to look beyond the day ahead of them.
"Every day we go out training we give everything we have. That will be the same tomorrow and the next day. It's not a big difference; we have two races against [Ineos Team UK] and it will be like any other day."
Luna Rossa took one win out of two today. Photo / Dean Purcell
While the British syndicate are on the ropes and continue to look for a way to get back in the fight, a win in yesterday's second race will give them confidence heading into today's racing.
Getting off the mark can, and has, proven to be a catalyst for greater things on the water in the past. Luna Rossa co-helmsman Jimmy Spithill will forever be remembered in America's Cup history for leading Oracle Team USA's comeback from an 8-1 deficit to beat Team New Zealand 9-8 and retain the Auld Mug in 2013.
Spithill will have a major part to play if Luna Rossa are to close out the series, particularly in the starting box. With Spithill positioned on the right side of the vessel, he plays a vital role in the pre-start battle.
To this point of the series, the team that has gotten the better of the start has gone on to win the race.
Luna Rossa are two wins away from advancing to the America's Cup match. Photo / Dean Purcell
While Spithill knows how important a good start is to racing in this series, he said there was only so much preparation that could go into that aspect of the race.
"Every start is different because the wind is different, sometimes to orientation of the line and the size of the starting box," Spithill explained.
"But it's a very dynamic thing. It happens quickly and the decisions get made quite quickly too. I think we're all learning at the end of the day, because it's something that's constantly evolving. It's so rare to have two starts that are exactly the same; there's always something different that you learn.
"We're trying to learn as much as we can every day we go against these guys."
