The British outfit returns to the water with a 4-0 deficit to overtake the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli in the PRADA Cup final. Five and six races will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event and Mix Saturday from 3am, again at 8am
With Emma Thurston
Last updated: 19/02/21 1:17 pm
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Sir Ben Ainslie is looking forward to this weekend’s race as his team aim to kick back in the PRADA Cup Final in Auckland
Sir Ben Ainslie is looking forward to this weekend’s race as his team aim to kick back in the PRADA Cup Final in Auckland
Sir Ben Ainslie says INEOS TEAM UK is aiming to bring “every race as it comes”, with the final round of the PRADA Cup starting on Saturday, live on Sky Sports.
The British outfit is preparing to return to the water for five and six races against Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, and they are currently finding their opponents four-nil in the series that won first to seven.
Both teams were due to spend Wednesday out racing out on the water, but due to the changing New Zealand COVID-19 warning level, that race day was postponed.
Following the decision to postpone the action, there was much debate about when, and how, the series would end.
The PRADA Cup Final Series is the culmination of the PRADA Cup; it is the competition that decides which team will be the opponent for Team Emirates New Zealand in the 36th American Cup match.
The winner of the series is the team that first reaches seven wins and four races were held before being suspended due to the change in the COVID-19 alert level in Auckland.
INEOS TEAM UK supported the idea of the organizers of the American Cup Event (ACE) about waiting for the Auckland Alert to reach Level 1 to increase the connection around the tournament, even if that would mean pushing racing back a bit.
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli wanted a race to resume as soon as possible, with a safety warning for everyone in the country, and supported the position of Challenger of Record to include a hard stop from after February 24, according to the rules.
Eventually, the organizers of the American Cup Event announced that racing would begin Saturday with races five and six, after which two races would take place each day until one team reached seven victories.
Both teams have spent time on the water updating their work from their last competitions (Image – COR 36 | Studio Borlenghi)
Despite all the talk of the rules and regulations this week, Ainslie is fully focused on what ‘s going to happen on the water.
“Right now, it’s just about taking every day and every race as it comes,” he told him Sky Sports.
“We need to make sure we do the best we can, we need to put pressure on the other team and see if we can get them to make some mistakes.
“This weekend we are looking at lighter winds, we know it will be tough against Luna Rossa, they will go well in the lighter tunes, but we have been working hard. hard in the last few days and I think we have won it. “
“The conditions will be the way they are, and we have to start winning some races. We have to get out, sail the boat as fast as we can and try to put the other team under pressure.”
The conditions will be as they are, and we must start winning races. We need to get out, sail the boat as fast as we can and try to put the other crew under pressure.
Sir Ben Ainslie (Image Copyright – HARRYKH)
With both INEOS TEAM UK and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli under ‘certificate of measurement’, their boats cannot be significantly changed between races. As a result, Ainslie and his team have focused on their approach in the last few days.
“Some of these racing techniques, especially through the moves, are very flexible,” said the captain and team principal within his ‘Guv’s Call’ feature on the INEOS TEAM UK website.
“There is so much that goes into one movement, from the sequence of changing the load between the boards, the main movements and jib, the leg level and more.
“We’ve been looking at that and seeing how we can reap the benefits because, although there wasn’t much between the two teams, we weren’t as strong as the Italians in our time.”
Ainslie also shared that they have paid particular attention to their pre-starts, the two-minute period in which both teams jump together and aim to cross the starting line at speed, when which strikes the clock 00:00.
“By overseeing our strategy, boat handling and split-second time will be critical in capturing the other team’s vigilance and leadership from the outset,” he said. before stressing their need to be calm and focused.
“Through this challenge, we have kept our emotions in check. We stick to our processes, do the best we can and take every race as it comes,” he concluded at the end of his Guv call.
“That’s our approach. We know we have to start winning some races and we believe we can. The team has been fantastic across the board and they haven’t. they woke up one minute.
“No one in the team has been able to cope with the challenges ahead. We are in the thick of the fight right now, we will give us the best view. I have every confidence in the a team we can come through. “
Watch every minute of the American Cup challenge, live on Sky Sports. Coverage will continue with Saturday’s PRADA Cup Final from 3am on Sky Sports Main Event and Mix, again at 8am.