INEOS Britannia, the British Challenger of Record competing for the Royal Yacht Squadron Ltd, has won the Louis Vuitton Cup and a place in the 37th America’s Cup Match against Defender’s Emirates Team New Zealand. Ben Ainslie’s crew is the first British team in 60 years to secure a spot in the match, after beating Italian team Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli 7-4 in the Louis Vuitton Cup Final, a first-to-seven series to determine who takes on the Kiwis.
The America’s Cup is the world’s oldest international sporting trophy, which began in Britain with a race around the Isle of Wight in 1851. Despite its origins, Britain has never won the America’s Cup, but Ben Ainslie and his crew are now one step closer to ending 173 years of hurt. The Brits will begin battling Emirates Team New Zealand in the first-to-seven series on 12 October.
INEOS Britannia Team Principal and Skipper Ben Ainslie said: “This is a massive day for our team. I want to say how proud I am of not just those on the water, but also all those back on shore in Barcelona and also back in the UK in Brackley helping us on the technical side. I’m so pleased for everyone, for all of our fans and supporters – it’s a massive moment. We started this team 10 years ago when Britain wasn’t in the America’s Cup and it took a lot of people to come in and support us. We have the amazing support of Jim Ratcliffe and his team at INEOS, and I want to say a massive thank you to everyone that has supported us as a team and British sailing in general, this moment’s for you.”
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Chairman of INEOS speaking after the win said: “We are all incredibly proud of the team for winning the Louis Vuitton Cup and getting through to the America’s Cup match for the first time in 60 years. The Italians have been outstanding opponents throughout and have pushed us all the way, delighting fans with unquestionably some of the best racing the America’s Cup has ever seen. But now, as a team we need to focus on the challenge ahead as we prepare to take on Emirates Team New Zealand in the America’s Cup match. While we have made significant improvements over the course of racing, we know now is not a time to rest. As we have done over the past few months we will continue in our relentless pursuit of performance to allow us to be in the best possible position ahead of the start of the Cup match.”
INEOS Britannia had a 6-4 lead over Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli when racing began on Friday. The Brits needed just one more win to secure the Louis Vuitton Cup and the all-important place in the 37th America’s Cup Match. The incredible series ended with an immaculate piece of sailing by the crew of INEOS Britannia, controlling the eleventh, and final, race from the entry. The British boat was slingshot off the line at 40 knots, just four metres back from the line. They quickly took control up the first leg. They rounded ten seconds ahead at the first gate. There was nothing in it over the next lap and a half, but on leg four the Italians started to chip away at the gap with a good downwind leg. It took some calm but aggressive sailing to force the Italian boat back again, with the lead dropping to just a few metres before INEOS Britannia extended back to a solid eight second lead at the end of lap three. The British crew closed it out with a solid final lap, and eventually finished with a 17-second margin.
INEOS Britannia Co-Helm Dylan Fletcher said: “I’m so proud of how the team has delivered. It really feels like we’ve been building momentum. It certainly feels like we are progressing as a team and that’s testament to the entire team, the software engineers, the performance team and the shore crew looking after the boat. We are now looking forward to developing the boat and our performance further for the America’s Cup Match. It’s pretty unbelievable to be sat here winning the Louis Vuitton Cup, it’s been a lifelong dream to compete in the America’s Cup and I’m looking forward to showing what we can do in the competition next weekend. Bring on the Kiwis.”
INEOS Britannia has spent almost three years designing and developing its AC75 race boat, Britannia. They partnered with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team’s Applied Science Division to to bring together some of the best talent from the high-performance marine and automotive industries for its America’s Cup campaign.
The team’s race boat, Britannia, will go up against Emirates Team New Zealand from 12 October. UK viewers can watch all the action live on TNT Sports for 13:00 BST (14:00 CEST).
