Concord Pacific Racing ready to fight for semi-final spot

22/09/2024 - 08:10 in Sport by Comunicati

Concord Pacific Racing’s Youth Team will enter tomorrow with everything to play for, needing a strong performance to secure their place in the semi-finals of the UniCredit Youth America’s Cup.

After a day of intense highs and frustrating lows on the water, the Canadians remain firmly in contention, sitting in fifth place overall with just two races remaining.

Despite improving throughout the day, with calm communication, great speed, and well-executed manoeuvres helping them work their way through the fleet, a few errors at critical moments proved costly. Concord Pacific Racing ended the day with a mixed set of results: fifth, second, sixth, fifth, and fifth.

The team is now seven points adrift of third-placed Sail Team BCN, in the hunt to secure a position in the top three and qualify for the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, Artemis Swedish Challenge, the only team in Group B to own their own AC40 and benefit from more time on the water, delivered a masterclass, winning four of the five races and taking a commanding lead on the overall leaderboard.

“I’m not happy with the day in general, although there was a lot to be happy about,” said Concord Pacific Racing Youth athlete Georgia Lewin-LaFrance. “We improved how we sailed the boat throughout the day and made big learnings, but we had some really big race-ending moments. If we can clean those up, we’ll be in good shape to fight for the top three tomorrow.”

Lewin-LaFrance added, “I’m very confident that we’re capable of getting into the top three, and we’re going to fight really hard to be there. We’ll take every learning from today and make sure we’re in the top three tomorrow.”

The day started with high hopes, as the Canadians, fresh off a strong second-place finish yesterday, looked to build momentum. The conditions, however, were much tougher, with stronger winds and a choppy sea state pushing the high-speed AC40s to their absolute limits.

While Concord Pacific Racing demonstrated their ability to learn and adapt, working their way from fifth to third in the opening race, a boundary penalty after hitting a big wave cost them, and they slipped back to finish fifth.

Their composure paid off in the second race of the day. Despite starting at the back of the fleet, the team’s tactical precision saw them steadily pick off competitors, capitalising on others' mistakes to secure a well-earned second place. It was a moment of hope, as the Canadians proved once again that they could compete at the highest level.

In the third race, Concord Pacific Racing looked in control, leading the fleet after a strong start. For much of the race, they appeared poised for another top finish, but disaster struck in the final leg. A poor jibe caused them to crash down and fall off the foils, turning a potential podium finish into a last-place result.

Determined to bounce back, the Canadians entered the fourth race with renewed focus. However, an early struggle saw them fighting from the back. Despite their efforts, they were unable to climb higher than fifth, as Sweden continued to dominate the day’s racing with another commanding win.

In the final race of the day, the Canadians found themselves in third place heading into the final leg. However a boundary penalty and a costly mistake in the final leg saw them drop to fifth, ending the day on a frustrating note.

The Canadians now head into Day 3 knowing they’ll need to dig deep and deliver two strong performances to keep their campaign alive.

Concord Pacific Racing Youth Captain Andrew Wood remains optimistic: “We’ve got our work cut out for us tomorrow. It’s not going to be easy against these teams, but if we can put together the parts that we struggled with today, we can definitely be one of the top teams out there, and we can do it if we put our minds to it.”

Fans can watch the action live on TSN, YouTube, or via the America’s Cup website, where all the races will be streamed.

Group B Standings after Day 2: