Quarter Finals Repechage Start Tomorrow

Quarter Finals Repechage Start Tomorrow - Luna Rossa Ita 74 Versus Orm Swe 73

The opening press conference for the 2002-2003 Louis Vuitton Cup quarter finals repechage was held this morning in Auckland. Francesco de Angelis was unable to attend as he left the dock at 8.30 to test Luna Rossa ITA 74, re-launched and measured at dawn after undergoing extensive work. It was the first and only chance for Team Prada to test ITA 74 alongside ITA 80 before making the final decision on what boat to use for the repechage. At 12:25 (the time limit is set by the rules at 13:05 today) Team Prada declared that they would be racing with Luna Rossa ITA 74 in the repechage. Marco Mercuriali, team Prada's rules advisor and umpire, attended the press conference; with the traditional toss of a coin he picked the yellow-starboard side of the line for tomorrow's match.

Starting from tomorrow, Saturday November 23, four teams will face each other in a best of seven series with the following pairings:

Prada Challenge (Luna Rossa ITA 74) versus Victory Challenge (Orm SWE 73) OneWorld Challenge (USA 67) versus Team Dennis Conner (Stars & Stripes USA 77)

The two winning teams from this series will advance to the semifinals, where they will face each other in a best of seven series, starting December 9. The two losers will be eliminated from the Louis Vuitton Cup.

CALENDAR FOR TOMORROW - NOVEMBER 23

RACE 1 Romeo - Match 1 OneWorld USA 67 versus Stars & Stripes USA 77 Romeo - Match 2 Luna Rossa ITA 74 versus Orm SWE 73 *

* Match broadcasted live on TV.

WEATHER FORECAST FOR TOMORROW Wind from NE 5-10 knots becoming S 10 knots. Showery and shifty.

Official Suppliers Prada Challenge 2003: Enervit (active nutrition). Fabianelli (pasta). Makita (power tools). Saima Avandero (transport). Sanpellegrino (mineral water and soft drinks). Technogym (fitness equipment).

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