By JULIE ASH
One of the reasons Alinghi chose the Italians as their opponents in the Louis Vuitton challenger quarter-finals was to get an early indication of how fast Prada were.
Alinghi finished first after the double round-robin competition - ahead of Oracle BMW Racing, OneWorld and Prada - which
gave them the luxury of being able to choose their opponents for the quarter-finals, which start next Tuesday.
Alinghi executive director Michel Bonnefous said there were two reasons his team chose to race Prada.
"We wanted to get an early reading of what changes Prada could bring to their boat. That is why we think it is important to take them very early.
"We also wanted to face a team that is in the process of changing because we all know it is difficult to change your boat."
After dismissing head designer Doug Peterson a few days into the first round, Prada sent their second yacht, ITA80, to the boat yard for modifications.
In the break between rounds one and two, the team did an almighty job on ITA74, introducing a knuckle bow and changing the sails and rig, which greatly improved their performance.
ITA80 returned to base on Sunday. The Italians hope to sail it either today or tomorrow, to test it against ITA74 before deciding which yacht they will use against Alinghi.
Syndicates have until 24 hours before the start of the quarter-finals to announce their race boat.
When asked if he viewed Prada's changes as a potential weakness, Alinghi skipper Russell Coutts said: "Possibly, almost certainly actually, because when you make changes it takes time to develop.
"Long term we see Prada as an extremely formidable team. We all know they are capable of performing these changes and then coming out and sailing very, very well.
"We are contemplating changes as well, but depending on what we see on the water, we might change our opinion slightly."
Coutts said Alinghi would test SUI64 and SUI75 over the next few days to decide which would be used.
"So far we have been very comfortable with SUI64, but we'll do some testing with the boats and rigs."
The team would also spend time working on their "breakdown" procedures, Coutts said.
"One of the problems we had towards the end of the racing was equipment failure, and that is something we weren't expecting, which goes to show this isn't an easy game."
Now the competition had reached the quarter-final stage, the intensity would increase.
"It has been a fantastic series so far, but I get the feeling that what we have seen is kind of like the pre-season in a lot of other sports, where we are sailing against each other and getting to know each other, and there is a lot of improvement left in many of the teams.
"Now we are coming to the real finals where teams are going to be more evenly matched and the racing is going to be a lot more intense."
The quarter-finals are the best of seven races. The other match in the top four pits Oracle BMW Racing against OneWorld, and in the bottom four Victory Challenge meet Le Defi Areva and GBR Challenge face Team Dennis Conner.
The match-up between Oracle and OneWorld is one of the most tantalising.
They are backed by new technology moguls from the west coast of the United States and represent two great evolving city states - Oracle is out of San Francisco and OneWorld from Seattle - that often indulge in intense rivalry on more than the sports field.
What's more, both teams are packed with talented sailors, some of them New Zealanders, including Oracle skipper Chris Dickson.
Oracle would be a tough competitor, but OneWorld were confident of their ability to beat them.
"When the time comes we will be ready," OneWorld executive director Bob Ratliffe said.
He would not comment on whether getting ready might include work on the boat OneWorld has used so far, USA-67, or even switching to their second boat, USA-65.
The fact OneWorld won all their matches in the first round-robin but lost three in the second was not significant, Ratliffe said.
The team had made a couple of technical mistakes, and all teams would lose at times against such strong competition.
nzherald.co.nz/americascup
Racing schedule, results and standings
By JULIE ASH
One of the reasons Alinghi chose the Italians as their opponents in the Louis Vuitton challenger quarter-finals was to get an early indication of how fast Prada were.
Alinghi finished first after the double round-robin competition - ahead of Oracle BMW Racing, OneWorld and Prada - which
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