8.45am - by HELEN TUNNAH
Inclement weather has forced organisers to postpone the first quarter-finals races in the Louis Vuitton challenger series which were due to take place on the Hauraki Gulf today.
Winds gusting over 30 knots saw racing called off early this morning, before challengers had even left their Viaduct
Harbour bases.
The winds were forecast to remain strong throughout the day, with Auckland also being hit by hail storms and heavy rain showers.
The eight teams in the quarter-finals have paired off and will contest the best of seven races series over the next few days.
In the top half of the contest, Louis Vuitton Cup holders Prada of Italy will race challengers' favourites Alinghi of Switzerland, while the two big-budget United States teams OneWorld Challenge and Oracle BMW Racing square off.
The two winners automatically qualify for the semi-finals, while the two losers drop to a repecharge round.
In the knockout, bottom half of the contest, GBR Challenge (Britain) race Team Dennis Conner (US) while Victory Challenge (Sweden) race Le Defi Areva (France).
In this half of the draw, the two losers will be eliminated while the winners will also move to the repecharge round for another series of racing to find the other two semi-finalists.
Racing in the quarter-finals is now expected to start tomorrow, with mild weather and light southerly winds predicted.
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Racing schedule, results and standings
