SAILING: Switzerland's Alinghi will sail against holders Team New Zealand in the 31st America's Cup after completing a 5-1 victory over US rivals Oracle BMW Racing in the challengers final yesterday.
Alinghi beat software billionaire Larry Ellison's Oracle by two minutes 34 seconds in the sixth race to take an unbeatable lead in the best-of-nine Louis Vuitton Cup challengers final. The final three races will not be sailed.
While the sixth race was more tense than the final margin suggested, Alinghi's 5-1 rout underlined the clear favouritism they held throughout the regatta which began in October with nine teams.
The winning $55 million team was built around a nucleus of New Zealand's former America's Cup-winning skipper Russell Coutts and tactician Brad Butterworth. Their knowledge of conditions in the Hauraki Gulf off Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, will be important when the best-of-nine race America's Cup begins on February 15th.
Their experience told as they fought off a desperate Oracle team yesterday. That desperation showed in pre-start manoeuvres when Oracle rounded on Alinghi and failed to keep clear when the Swiss boat had the right of way. On-water judges awarded a penalty turn against Oracle which had to be completed before the end of the race.
