Alinghi Red Bull Racing ready to race ahead of Preliminary Regatta

Only one day remains until the third Preliminary Regatta starts and Alinghi Red Bull Racing enters this first phase of AC75 racing determined to prove themselves on the water. Following yesterday’s mast failure on BoatOne, a concerted 24-hour effort by the team restored the boat to racing condition in time for today’s official practice race. The team’s dock out at midday was celebrated by a spirited send-off from both teammates and supporters at the Swiss Base in Barcelona.

After years of preparation for the 37th America’s Cup, Alinghi Red Bull Racing has finally reached the end of their training phase and yesterday’s mast failure wasn’t enough to slow the Swiss Challengers down. Swiftly swapping back to BoatOne’s original racing mast, the team worked through the night to ensure the boat was race-ready for their dock out at midday. Joined by fans at Plaça de l'Odissea, all departments at the Swiss Base cheered the sailing team as they headed out on BoatOne. While on the water they faced the French Orient Express Racing Team for a final official practice race, with the Swiss team sailing to victory.

Now having concluded the training, the team is ready to enter the Louis Vuitton Preliminary Regatta which starts tomorrow, running from 22-25 August. Over the four days, all six teams for the 37th America’s Cup will compete in a series of one-on-one match-races with four races per day. The teams will face each other once, before the top two boats advance to the Grand Final to decide the event’s ultimate winner.

While this Preliminary Regatta won’t directly count towards the next leg of the competition, it could decide a tie-break situation, so all teams will want to give their best performance on the race track. First up on the schedule for Alinghi Red Bull Racing is the French team, which also marks the first race of the entire regatta.

Racing will start each day at 14:00 local time (CEST), running until 16:30 or 17:00 depending on the race schedule. For those in Barcelona, the FanZone at the Alinghi Red Bull Racing Team Base will be open to all visitors