With just one day to go until the first stage of the 37th America’s Cup kicks off in Barcelona, INEOS Britannia Team Principal and Skipper Ben Ainslie said teams were “now racing for keeps where every point counts” and that the event was “set to be one of the best yet”. 

On Thursday, the Louis Vuitton Cup (Challenger Selection Series) begins, which will determine which of the five challenging teams will face Defender Emirates Team New Zealand in the battle to win the world’s oldest international sporting trophy. The series starts with a double Round Robin, where each team will race their AC75 boats against each other twice before the one with the least points is eliminated. 

Ainslie said the AC75 race boats were the “pinnacle” of design and engineering in the sailing world, with INEOS Britannia collaborating with Mercedes AMG-Petronas Formula One team to design and build their vessel. 

“It’s a real privilege to sail on these AC75s,” Ainslie said. 

“Their performance is mind-blowing, both upwind and downwind, which I think will surprise those watching. With the AC75s in action in an amazing venue like Barcelona, this really is set to be one of the best America’s Cups yet.” 

The Louis Vuitton Cup follows on from the Preliminary Regatta which took place in Barcelona last week (22-25 Aug), where all six teams raced their AC75s against each other for the first time. INEOS Britannia, the British Challenger of Record racing for the Royal Yacht Squadron Ltd, won two of its races, taking victory over Alinghi Red Bull Racing (SUI) and Orient Express Racing Team (FRA). 

Image: Ricardo Pinto / America’s Cup

Reflecting on the results, Ainslie said: “We would have liked to have won more races but there were plenty of positives and learnings to take away from the four days of racing. We saw just how critical the pre-starts are, and there were some good moments from us but also some silly mistakes creeping in, which is all a part of getting used to sailing the boat. As a team we are now focused on the Round Robins and feel that we have more to give in terms of performance of the boats, how we sail it and our maneuvers – so there’s lots of development to come. As a team we are in a really good place, feeling positive and motivated.”

Although the Louis Vuitton Cup is used to decide which of the five challenging teams will face Emirates Team New Zealand in the America’s Cup Match, the Kiwis will be taking part in the double Round Robin stage. While they will be racing, the points for their races will not count for them or the teams they are facing. 

Speaking at the pre-event press conference, Ainslie said: “There have been some discussions about whether the Defender’s points should count and that’s a good debate. I’m not saying in any case Pete Burling would try and do this, but if the points counted they could try and manipulate the results so ultimately I think what’s been agreed is fair. Of course, taking part in the Round Robins gives the Kiwis a chance to check in on the Challengers, but it also gives us an opportunity to learn, and given the Kiwis won the Preliminary Regatta, I think it’s fair to say we learned more from them than they learned from us.” 

Joining Ainslie on-board the team’s AC75, Britannia, for the Louis Vuitton Cup is Dylan Fletcher as Co-Helm, Bleddyn Mon and Leigh McMillan as Trimmers and four rotational Cyclors, coming from a pool of nine athletes who rotate on and off the boat between races. The Cyclor crew consists of: David ‘Freddie’ Carr, Ben Cornish, Matt Gotrel, Neil Hunter, Harry Leask, Luke Parkinson, Matt Rossiter, James Skulczuk and Ryan Todhunter. 

The Louis Vuitton Cup (Challenger Selection Series) begins on Thursday and UK viewers can watch all the races live on TNT Sports from 13:00 BST (14:00 CEST). One team will be eliminated after the double Round Robin stage, with the four remaining teams entering the Semi-Final and then two teams progressing to the Louis Vuitton Cup Final, the winner of which will face Emirates Team New Zealand in the battle to win the world’s oldest sporting trophy – the 37th America’s Cup. 

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