Late changes or fixes to a boat's setup could be turned into full race delays by teams under the new rule. Photo / Dean Purcell
Late changes or fixes to a boat's setup could be turned into full race delays by teams under the new rule. Photo / Dean Purcell
A new rule implemented for the Prada Cup final and America's Cup match could prove to be a strategic tool well-received by the competing syndicates in the coming weeks.
Ahead of the two remaining series in the America's Cup campaign, it was agreed that all teams would have the opportunityto call for a 15-minute delay prior to the start of a race. Each team can do this once per series.
However, should conditions cooperate, the delay card could be used for much more than a 15-minute buffer.
Race director Iain Murray confirmed there would be no cut-off time at which the teams had to use their card by in the day's racing, provided it was prior to the corresponding race.
With racing having to start prior to 6pm, teams could call for the 15-minute delay after 5.45pm which would subsequently postpone the race until the next day.
"They're going to do it at three minutes to six, aren't they," Murray joked.
"There's no last time [they can use it]... we can't start after 6, so effectively they could use that delay card as a day's delay if they think I'm going to start at six or just before."
For that situation to become a possibility, there would need to be a delay of about an hour for the first race of the day, which is scheduled to run at 4.15pm on each race day.
Late changes or fixes to a boat's setup could be turned into full race delays by teams under the new rule. Photo / Dean Purcell
Murray said that in the event one of the two races scheduled on any given day is postponed, race management could try to run three races on another day, however yachts cannot compete more than twice without agreement between the Challenger of Record and the Defender, which Murray suggested was unlikely.
"The default situation is the yachts will not sail more than two races in a day."
With the wind expected to be near the lowest end of the limit for the first race today, there could be a delay, Murray said, however conditions were expected to pick up as the afternoon went on.
In the case that racing is delayed to the point where only one contest can be run today, the next available opportunity to catch up will be the reserve day on Tuesday.
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.
