By JULIE ASH
Chris Dickson's Oracle BMW Racing yesterday proved they have stepped up a gear, completing a 4-0 whitewash of OneWorld in the semifinal repechage of the Louis Vuitton challenger series.
But the question is whether they can step up another gear before facing Dickson's long-time rival Russell Coutts and his
Swiss syndicate Alinghi in the final, starting on January 11.
OneWorld led Oracle around the first three marks in light and shifty conditions yesterday, but allowed Oracle to get a separation in the second downwind leg.
The breeze then went Oracle's way and OneWorld were in no position to cover.
Oracle rounded the fourth mark ahead and defended magnificently until the end, winning by an impressive 1m 4s.
Few would have predicted Oracle would win the series so convincingly. After suffering a 4-0 loss to Alinghi in the semifinals, it was expected their clash with OneWorld would go down to the wire.
But the Oracle designers seem to have worked wonders with USA76, improving its speed over a range of conditions, while the Oracle afterguard have performed almost faultlessly.
Oracle navigator Ian Burns said his team knew they would have to pull something out of the bag to beat Alinghi.
"Alinghi have beaten us a number of times, but I think we are taking a great deal of confidence from the fact we have improved as much as anyone out there.
"From our first round-robin, when we were struggling, to come through to where we are now is great. We have made some big changes to the way we sail the boat, and we have made some big changes to the boat.
"I am confident that we have got to a level where we can take Alinghi on on equal terms."
Alinghi advanced straight to the final, avoiding the repechage.
Burns said Oracle had gained a lot from racing OneWorld.
"These guys are the best team out there as far as talent is concerned and as far as raw sailing skill goes. That has helped our sailing and crew work dramatically."
But for OneWorld the loss spells the end of the road.
"My hat goes off to Oracle," OneWorld skipper Peter Gilmour said.
"They sailed so damn well and we sailed so damn badly.
"I thought that going through the repechage would be a good omen for us. I thought we would pop out the other side, but the Oracle team were an absolute roadblock.
"Having to do that extra day of racing against Prada was one of the things that knocked us back a little bit in terms of our planning and trying to get a little bit of rest.
"But we have no one to blame other than ourselves. We ran our campaign well and we sailed our boats as best as we could.
"We simply weren't good enough to beat these guys.
"We don't have any regrets about what could have been or should have been.
"It is a matter of winning races out there on the water."
OneWorld helmsman James Spithill said it was hard to believe it was all over.
"It became reality after the last race that you do not have to go to work tomorrow and you are not going to go out sailing with your mates. It hits you hard.
"I have had such a fantastic time with this team. It seemed that we were going to go all the way."
The final is a best of nine series, starting on January 11.
nzherald.co.nz/americascup
Racing schedule, results and standings
By JULIE ASH
Chris Dickson's Oracle BMW Racing yesterday proved they have stepped up a gear, completing a 4-0 whitewash of OneWorld in the semifinal repechage of the Louis Vuitton challenger series.
But the question is whether they can step up another gear before facing Dickson's long-time rival Russell Coutts and his
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