“We have a good chance to beat Desafío”

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“We have a good chance to beat Desafío”

(6 May 2007) After today’s comfortable 35 seconds victory over Areva Challenge, Desafío Español will meet Victory Challenge tomorrow.

It is necessary to win the match in order to be able to have a chance to be in the semi-finals, and it seems likely to be a thrilling duel.

“I really look forward to the match, I think we have a really good chance to win,” said Mattias Rahm, strategist onboard Järv (SWE 96).

Victory Challenge and Desafío Español have met six times within the framework of the 32nd America’s Cup. Each team has won three times. The five first matches were sailed in the pre-regattas during 2005 and 2006. Desafío Español won the sixth match in flight nine in Round Robin One in the challenger series the Louis Vuitton Cup on the 26th April.

Tomorrow it is time for flight nine of eleven in Round Robin Two:

“I think the race is going to be close, but our confidence in meeting them is good. I think we have a good chance to beat them,” Mattias Rahm said just after having returned from the water after the victory against Areva Challenge.

That match was no repeat of the drama in Round Robin One when Victory Challenge had a penalty and took it with the smallest possible margin and won with just five seconds.

“We knew we had the potential to beat them today, also in tactics and in manoeuvres. We wanted to sail a close race, to prevent them from using the shifts. And that is what we did.”

A lead of 12 seconds at the top mark after the first beat increased to 17 seconds at the bottom gate and to 31 seconds at the top mark after the last beat and then to 35 seconds at the finishing line.

Desafío Español also won, as expected, against United Internet Team (med 1:08).

That means that it is not sufficient to just win against the Spanish team tomorrow in order for Victory Challenge to be able to continue to the semi-finals.

This is the standing when there are three remaining flights out of eleven in Round Robin Two:

After today’s race Emirates Team New Zealand, with 31 points, is ready for the semi-finals. As of yesterday, the same goes for BMW Oracle Racing (33) and Luna Rossa Challenge (32).

It is also clear that Mascalzone Latino (20 points), after today’s six second loss against Team Shosholoza, is out of the Louis Vuitton Cup when the Round Robin series finishes on Wednesday. The same goes for Team Shosholoza (18 points), Areva Challenge (13), +39 Challenge (6), United Internet Team (5) and China Team (3).

In the middle are Desafío Español and Victory Challenge, with 29 and 24 points respectively.

Here are the matches remaining for these two teams:

Monday 7th May
Flight 9
Victory Challenge-Desafío Español

Tuesday 8th May

Flight 10
Victory Challenge-Emirates Team New Zealand
Desafío Español-BMW Oracle Racing

Wednesday 9th May

Flight 11
Victory Challenge-Mascalzone Latino
Desafío Español-Luna Rossa Challenge

This shows that the two teams, which still have a chance to take the fourth semi-final place, have some extremely tough matches ahead of them in the last three days of Round Robin Two.

Desafío Español still has to meet two of the top teams.

Victory Challenge has to meet one top team as well as Desafío Español and Mascalzone Latino.

Victory Challenge must win all of its three remaining matches in order to have a chance to proceed to the semi-finals.

“I saw the TV pictures yesterday of Desafío celebrating with champagne. They will regret that, I think,” Mattias Rahm said.

“We will wait until after the match with Mascalzone. Then we will have champagne.”

Victory Challenge’s main partners for the 32nd America’s Cup are Tele2, Red Bull and MTG. Metro and Viasat Broadcasting are media partners. Corum is the official timekeeper. Sail Racing, LIROS Yacht Ropes, Rutgerson Marin, Pergo and OM Pimespo Ibercarretillas are official suppliers. Team suppliers are Sebago, Oakley, Ascom Wireless Solutions, Optimus, Flaggfabriken National, Fitness First in Valencia and Nordic Sea Hotel in Stockholm

ENDS

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