Emirates Team NZ One Win Away From Contending Cup

Valencia, 5 June, 2007 - The Emirates Team New Zealand squad won its fourth consecutive race of the Louis Vuitton Cup Final and now sits one win away from a trip to the America's Cup Match. The Kiwis trailed early in Tuesday's race, but soon recovered to lead at every turning mark of the race course.

It was a light, challenging day on the waters off Valencia. Cloud cover hindered development of a sea breeze and the race was conducted in a tricky 6 to 9 knot Northeasterly breeze. There was a short postponement when a windshift came across the race course just before the scheduled start time. After re-setting the starting line, racing began in 8 knots of wind before a big spectator fleet.

Luna Rossa Challenge won the first cross in today's race after the teams took opposite sides of the starting line and split early on the first leg. The Italians were on the right hand side and made a nice gain in the first few minutes after the starting gun. When the boats converged for the first cross, Luna Rossa skipper Francesco de Angelis and his team tacked ahead of NZL 92 nearly 100 metres in front on the bow-to-bow advantage line.

After NZL 92 tacked back out to the left, each team tacked again, setting up a second cross. The Kiwis had clearly made a gain and Italian tactician Torben Grael called for an early tack to leeward of the New Zealand boat. Within minutes, the Emirates squad had lifted inside ITA 94 and gained the advantage line. The Kiwis sailed the Italians out past the starboard tack layline, consolidating their lead, and rounded the first mark 19 seconds ahead. From there, Emirates Team New Zealand never appeared threatened, going on to win its fourth race in the series.

Match 4 - Emirates Team New Zealand beat Luna Rossa Challenge - DELTA 0:52

Entering from the left, Luna Rossa began the pre-start well, James Spithill managing to cross the bow of Emirates Team New Zealand as both boats sailed deep into the box. However, it didn't seem Dean Barker was too worried about giving up the right, because when the start gun fired the boats exited the start on opposite tacks, the Italians sailing out to the right on port tack, the Kiwis out to the left.

For the first time in the series, a big separation opened up across the course, reaching more than 1100 metres before Luna Rossa was the first to tack. The Kiwis eventually tacked too, but when the boats converged on the centre of the course again, the Italians had made a big gain, leading by nearly four boatlengths.

However, a smaller separation opened up before the second cross, and this time the Kiwis had reduced the deficit to 40 metres, about a boatlength and a half. Luna Rossa tacked to leeward of the port-tack Kiwis, but were not close enough to give NZL 92 bad air. Dean Barker kept his boat trucking along on the hip of ITA 94, and when a small shift came in from the left, the Kiwis moved ahead.

The New Zealanders then carried the race out to the starboard layline and beyond. When they tacked and the Italians followed, the gap was now up to several boatlengths, and around the first mark the delta was 19 seconds. Luna Rossa tried to attack with a flurry of gybes in the light conditions, but the New Zealand crew were more than a match for any moves. Extra gybes from Luna Rossa at the bottom of the course proved expensive, making the leeward gate delta 54 seconds.

It was nothing but pain for the Italians from then on, and they finished 52 seconds behind the seemingly invincible Kiwis.

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