The Louis Vuitton Cup competitors sailed for the second consecutive day on Wednesday. The America’s Cup challengers series had raced only three of 16 flights before the wind picked up and allowed for racing on Tuesday.
The sea breeze continued to blow on Wednesday, allowing all five races to start despite a slight delay on the southern ”Juliet” course.
On the northern ”Romeo” course, Luna Rossa rebounded from consecutive defeats by beating French syndicate Areva Challenge by 33 seconds. Swedish syndicate Victory Challenge finished 0:55 ahead of +39 Challenge to keep the Italians winless and equal last with China Team.
Desafio Espanol led from the start on ”Juliet” against China Team to win eventually by 2:01.
Also on ”Juliet”, top-ranked Emirates Team New Zealand humbled Shosholoza of South Africa to win by 1:23. The South Africans were coming off consecutive victories — including a win over Luna Rossa.
Mascalzone Latino outpaced United Internet Team Germany over the final lap to win by 0:24.
Undefeated American entry BMW Oracle Racing, which leads the standings with 10 points, returned from a sixth-flight bye to race the French in the seventh flight later on Wednesday.
Four teams have eight points, with all five afternoon races scheduled to sail.
The Louis Vuitton Cup will decide which of the 11 challengers will sail against America’s Cup champion Alinghi in the final from June 23 to July 4. — Sapa-AP