Yachting: Cup campaign gets early boost

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Even as Dean Barker watched with some satisfaction his Team New Zealand colleague Bertrand Pace come from behind to win the Steinlager Line 7 Cup on Auckland Harbour, his thoughts were focused on events further down the track.

Pace joined five-time winner Russell Coutts as only the second yachtsman to win New Zealand's premier match-racing regatta in successive years with his 3-2 win over Gavin Brady.

He gave the New Zealand America's Cup campaign an early boost in relegating the Brady-led Prada challenge to second place.

Cameron Appleton finished third - after beating Swede Magnus Holmberg, who will lead Sweden's America's Cup challenge - also coming from 0-1 to win the best-of-three series 2-1. Barker had made certain all Team New Zealand crews would finish in the top five by beating former double winner Rod Davis (also with Prada) in the race for fifth.

Holmberg's fourth placing was enough, however, to ensure he retained his handy lead on the Swedish Match Grand Prix, although Pace has closed to within 19 points.

The fifth round will be sailed in Fremantle this week, but Barker was unsure whether Pace would be there.

But Barker was adamant the Grand Prix Tour would play a significant role in Team New Zealand's build-up for the America's Cup. "We will definitely do some races next year. It is important for us to do as much match racing as we can but at the same time we have to balance that with our testing programme," Barker said.

"Unfortunately, the races in Auckland and Perth come in the middle of our testing programme."

Although he harbours some doubts over the standard of boats used in some regattas, Barker had no such reservations about the 10-year-old Bruce Farr-designed, five-man MRX yachts used here.

"Even allowing for their age, they are as good as any on the circuit and are really manoeuvrable. It makes for some really close racing. With the [double round-robin, 22-race] format used this year we were very lucky to get all the races in. But it is a format all crews enjoy and is fair - unlike Bermuda where you can go all the way to get there and be knocked out in the first round."

After a surprise choice to race Appleton in the semifinals - winning 3-2 while Brady was coming from 0-2 to edge Holmberg 3-2 - Pace won the first race of the final by 10s. Brady hit back to win the next two for 2-1.

Again Pace called on all his experience to hold off a determined Brady to force it to a sudden-death fifth race.

Pace eased away to win the last race and collect $26,000 in winnings.

Herald Online feature: America's Cup