More success for Prada and OneWorld

5.30pm

The embattled OneWorld sailors led from start to finish to open a 2-0 lead today over bitter US rival Team Dennis Conner in their quarterfinals repechage of the America's Cup challenger regatta.

Italy's Prada, the defending Louis Vuitton Cup challengers champions, also took a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven repechage with another comfortable victory over Sweden's Victory Challenge in shifting, light winds off Auckland.

Conner's team and Prada have both lodged protests against OneWorld, alleging the Seattle-based team backed by telecoms investor Craig McCaw and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen possessed and used boat design secrets taken from other teams.

OneWorld have strenuously denied any wrongdoing but the protests have potentially wide-ranging ramifications for the regatta if they are upheld.

But OneWorld's multinational crew, led by Australians Peter Gilmour and James Spithill, put those distractions aside as they took an early lead in the 18.5 nautical mile race and pressed home their advantage on the first leg.

Conner's Stars & Stripes USA-77 struggled to stay in touch with OneWorld in unpredictable wind conditions. OneWorld USA-67 correctly picked one significant wind shift to increase their lead by almost two minutes on the fifth leg of the six-leg race.

OneWorld then safely protected their lead on the final run home to close out a win by one minute and 50 seconds.

Prada followed a very similar script in their race against Victory Challenge's Orm SWE-73. The Italians held a clear advantage at the start and skipper Francesco de Angelis was able to protect ITA-74's lead for the rest of the race to win by one minute and 23 seconds.

The four boats in the repechage are sailing for the two remaining places in the challengers semi-finals next month alongside top-ranked syndicates Alinghi of Switzerland and US team Oracle BMW Racing.

But all race results could be thrown in jeopardy if either of the protests seeking OneWorld's disqualification are upheld.

One of the protests, lodged by Conner's New York Yacht-club backed team under sailing's "fair play" rules, will be heard by an international jury after the quarter-finals repechage next week. The second protest by Conner and Prada to an arbitration panel could take up to six weeks to be heard.

Race organisers have predicted fine weather and light winds with northeasterly sea breezes for tomorrow's third races of the repechage.

The winners of the challengers series will sail against Team New Zealand in the America's Cup next February.

- REUTERS

nzherald.co.nz/americascup

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