TNT Sports
OneWorld and Prada win
By
Published 26/11/2002 at 09:42 GMT
OneWorld took revenge against bitter U.S. America's Cup rival Team Dennis Conner on Tuesday when they comfortably won the first race in the quarter-finals repechage. The American syndicate is accused of spying by both Conner and Prada which also won Tuesday.
Eurosport
Image credit: TNT Sports
OneWorld took revenge against bitter U.S. America's Cup rival Team Dennis Conner on Tuesday when they comfortably won the first race in the quarter-finals repechage. The American syndicate is accused of spying by both Conner and Prada which also won Tuesday.
NEWS: Rivals want OneWorld disqualified
OneWorld were anxiously awaiting the outcome of protests
lodged by Conner's team and fellow challengers Prada of Italy
alleging the Seattle-based team broke strict secrecy rules
governing boat design. OneWorld deny any wrongdoing.
One of those protests, under which Conner's team accuses
OneWorld of breaching sailing's "fair play" rules, was to be
heard later on Tuesday. Conner and Prada were seeking OneWorld's
disqualification.
OneWorld scored the first major victory of the day when they
comfortably beat Conner's Stars & Stripes boat by one minute, 16
seconds to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven race series.
Strategist Ben Durham said the OneWorld crew had not been
unsettled by the protests and the growing controversy on shore.
"We've had to fight this for the last year and it's been
around and it's only brought this team tighter together," Durham
told a news conference.
"It's only strengthening our resolve, really," he said.
Prada, the defending Louis Vuitton Cup challengers
champions, also opened a 1-0 lead when they beat Sweden's
Victory Challenge by one minute, 31 seconds.
But most attention was focused on the battle between
OneWorld and Stars & Stripes after Conner, four times a winner
of the America's Cup, lodged his second protest in 24 hours
against OneWorld late on Monday.
OneWorld's multinational crew led by Australians Peter
Gilmour and James Spithill appeared to shrug off the controversy
as they started confidently and led early on the first leg in
light winds in the Hauraki Gulf off New Zealand's largest city.
Stars & Stripes fought back immediately and led by 26
seconds after the first leg of the six-leg, 18.5 nautical mile
race.
Conner's team almost doubled their lead on the next downwind
leg but OneWorld clawed their way back in tight racing as the
wind grew to about 10 knots.
WIND SHIFT
OneWorld then picked an important wind shift after splitting
from Stars & Stripes and sailing to the right side of the course
and led by 13 seconds at the fourth mark.
Conner's team were left to rue several missed opportunities.
"We gave a good team too many chances, is what it boils down
to," Team Dennis Conner helmsman Ken read said.
"We've got to lick our wounds a little bit tonight and we'll
be ready to get back at it," he said.
Prada similarly fought back after Victory led at the start
of their race. The Italians led Victory around the first mark
and increased their lead over the next two legs.
Prada, backed by fashion mogul Patrizio Bertelli, had made
extensive modifications to their sleek silver and red boat's bow
over the past week and the work appeared to have paid off as
they comfortably held Victory at bay.
"So far so good," Prada skipper Francesco de Angelis said.
The four teams in the repechage are fighting for the two
remaining places in the challengers series semi-finals next
month alongside top-ranked syndicates Alinghi of Switzerland and
U.S. team Oracle BMW Racing.
The winners of the Louis Vuitton Cup will sail against
holders Team New Zealand in the America's Cup in February 2003.
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