Solid second win for Alinghi Red Bull Racing

Coming off a morale-boosting win against the French on Tuesday, today the Swiss team approached its second Louis Vuitton Cup match opposite NYYC American Magic race determined to keep up the pressure. A pre-start penalty for the opponents gave the Swiss an early edge, which they turned into a significant lead through solid match racing, cleanly executed manoeuvres, and expertly reading the wind shifts. The Swiss team’s ability to stay on the foils proved key, as the American boat struggled to do so midway through the match. By the finish, Alinghi Red Bull Racing had built a comfortable 40-second margin to take their second point of the competition. Now with back-to-back wins, the Swiss Challenger will be focused on continuing the streak this weekend. Up next are two matches on Saturday 7th September, against INEOS Britannia then Emirates Team New Zealand.

Maxime Bachelin, Helmsman: “Today we really had to play against the Americans in the early legs, because we were quite close right after the start. There were a lot of tacks, and we were demanding a lot from the Power Group. But they kept smashing it, they loved it. They told us on the comms, ‘Go for it, guys, keep tacking, we’re good.’ So it was a really great effort from them. By the end, when we felt comfortable with enough distance, we just played it safe—no crazy manoeuvres, avoiding too many tacks. I think that’s just our way. We don’t need to win by 500 metres; we can win with 10 metres, it’s enough.”

Nils Theuninck, Cyclor: “On the finish line, we were pretty exhausted in the Power Group. It was a tough race physically, so today was a really good effort from everybody. If they had needed to do 20 more tacks, we would have found a way to provide the power. We were not going to lose on missing power—that wasn’t an option—so we pushed as hard as we could, and luckily it was enough. Now there’s probably a feeling of relief in the team, removing some of the pressure, and definitely a lot of satisfaction that we managed to pull one off like this. Very good to get two wins back to back.”

Rodney Ardern, Sailing Team Manager: “Just after we cut the tow, the boat fell off the foils prior to the start, so a bit of a nervous moment there. But the guys recovered well and had a great pre-start. Everything went to plan. We got a little bit of a break with American Magic entering slightly early, but that's all part of the pressure of the start. It was a fair mistake, and it gave us a bit of breathing room. But all credit to the guys, as I think they extended on most legs.

We’ve been learning lots of lessons along the way, and we’ve just got to keep on working one race at a time. These wins give the guys a bit more confidence in themselves and in the boat. There’s plenty of racing to go. But the trend seems to be going up.”