INEOS Britannia wins Round Robin stage of Louis Vuitton Cup after Sail-Off for top spot

 

INEOS Britannia, the British Challenger of Record racing for the Royal Yacht Squadron Ltd in the 37th America's Cup, has ended the Round Robin stage of the Louis Vuitton Cup on the top of the leaderboard.

Ben Ainslie's British team won its final scheduled race against Orient Express Racing Team (FRA) this afternoon, which tied them on points with the Italians, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli. The two teams then entered into a "Sail-Off" to see who would end up in first place and therefore have the privilege of picking their opponent, entry side and race number in the Semi-Final of the Louis Vuitton Cup. INEOS Britannia dominated the race against the Italians to secure the race win and top spot of the leaderboard. The Semi-Final of the Louis Vuitton Cup, which determines which team takes on Defender Emirates Team New Zealand in the 37th America's Cup Match, begins on Saturday.

INEOS Britannia Team Principal and Skipper Ben Ainslie said: "The team did a great job digging deep through the Preliminary Regatta and this Round Robin and taking learnings from all those races. Our performance recently is a real credit to the team, and not just those on the water, but those back at the base in Barcelona and back in the UK - all the hard work is paying off. We said all along, the America's Cup is a development game and we started off a little bit rusty in the Preliminary Regatta and the beginning of this Round Robin stage, but every day we sail this boat we are getting better and better and I think we've got a great package, but there is still a long way to go."

The Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Final kicks off on Saturday 14 September. INEOS Britannia will announce which team they have chosen to race at the pre-event Press Conference on Friday. The teams the Brits have to choose from are: Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (ITA), New York Yacht Club American Magic (USA) and Alinghi Red Bull Racing (SUI). The first team to win five races, and score five points, in each pairing will progress to the Final (26 Sept-7 October), with the winning team of that match going on to face Defender Emirates Team New Zealand in the 37th America's Cup Match (12-27 October).