Alinghi Will Not Race Against Luna Rossa Tomorrow

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND

NOVEMBER 2, 2002

ALINGHI WILL NOT RACE AGAINST LUNA ROSSA TOMORROW

CORM, Challenger of Record Management, sent out an official notice tonight stating that Alinghi Challenge has withdrawn from Round Robin Two. This enables Team Prada to gain the point of the match against the Swiss, scheduled for tomorrow, without going at sea.

This afternoon the Race Committee has been able to complete two of the outstanding matches from Flight 5 of Round Robin Two. The third scheduled match of the afternoon, between Oracle BMW Racing and Stars & Stripes, has been postponed due to technical damage suffered by Oracle during her morning race. Three other teams, besides Mascalzone Latino, have now completed all their races of Round Robin Two: OneWorld, GBR Challenge and Team Dennis Conner.

Francesco de Angelis, skipper of Luna Rossa, commented on the early exit from the Louis Vuitton Cup of the other Italian team Mascalzone Latino (who will not proceed to the quarter finals being the bottom-ranked team at the end of the two rounds): "It's a team that has fought until the end and it would have been nice to have two Italian challengers still racing throughout the Louis Vuitton Cup. It's a shame, especially as the team improved so much during races; if they had had more time the outcome might have been different. For them I am sure it has been a great experience, divided between the joy of participating to a new challenge and the pressure of the results. I congratulate the crew and the team for how they were able to improve, in spite of the difficulties surrounding them. I'm very sorry for Vincenzo Onorato and I congratulate him for his enthusiasm and passion. Without these two qualities, together with courage, you cannot compete in an event such as this. As an Italian sailor I hope that the experience they have gained in this campaign will not be lost but invested in future endeavours."

Results of the two matches sailed this afternoon follow below.

FLIGHT 5 OF ROUND ROBIN TWO, MATCH 2 AND 3 ABANDONED ON OCTOBER 30 AND
RE-SAIL OF MATCH 4

Match 2 Orm SWE 73 versus Oracle BMW Racing USA 76 (match postponed to tomorrow due to technical failure on USA 76)

Match 3 OneWorld USA 67 wins against Stars & Stripes USA 66 (1' 19" lead)

Match 4 Alinghi SUI 64 wins over Wight Lightning GBR 70 (1' 26" lead)
(re-sail of match ordered by the International Jury after GBR Challenge's protest against the Race Committee after race of October 30)

RACE COURSE
Windward leeward course of 12.5 miles, four legs total, two windward legs and two downwind legs; first and last legs are 3.25 miles, the remaining two are 3.00 miles.

CURRENT OVERALL STANDINGS AT THE END OF TODAY'S RACING
13 pts. Alinghi Swiss Challenge (13 wins out of 15 races)
13 pts. OneWorld Challenge (13 wins out of 16 races) *
10 pts. Prada Challenge (10 wins out of 15 races)
10 pts. Oracle BMW Racing (10 wins out of 14 races)
7 pts. Victory Challenge (7 wins out of 15 races)
7 pts. GBR Challenge (7 wins out of 16 races)
6 pts. Team Dennis Conner (6 wins out of 16 races)
2 pts. Le Defi Areva (2 wins out of 15 races)
1 pt. Mascalzone Latino (1 win out of 15 races)
* OneWorld will be penalised one point at the end of Round Robin Two.

CALENDAR FOR TOMORROW - NOVEMBER 3

FLIGHT 7 OF ROUND ROBIN TWO, MATCH 1 POSTPONED FROM OCTOBER 31
Match 1 Oracle BMW Racing USA 76 versus Le Defi FRA 69

FLIGHT 5 OF ROUND ROBIN TWO, MATCH 2 POSTPONED FROM NOVEMBER 2
Match 2 Orm SWE 73 versus Oracle BMW Racing USA 76 *

* Match broadcasted live on TV.

WEATHER FORECAST FOR TOMORROW

Wind from SSW 10 knots increasing to 15-20 kts. Mainly sunny.

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