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TNZ was heavily involved in World Series events last month, releasing just one race to American Magic on the way to victory in the pre-Christmas regatta. The British challenge went on, with “Britannia” Ainslie losing every race.
But the 43-year-old is hoping his syndicate can advance into the Prada Cup challenge series, which starts on Jan. 15 and will determine which team will meet TNZ for the Cup. America from March 6.
“I think you’ll see a lot of improvement across the three opponents through the Prada Cup,” Ainslie told Podcast address Shirley Robertson.
“Whoever gets through… we have to push hard for that challenge to be able to race the Kiwis because at the moment they are standing head and shoulders above the other three teams.
“We need to improve our game to compete against them.”
The UK INEOS Team went out in light winds in the December regatta and Ainslie said it was a good indication of the monohull foiling capabilities of AC75.
“We were fortunate to have had the opportunity to raise these issues but, in reality, we have been working on some for a long time,” he said.
“It will take a gradual change to raise performance and that is what we are looking to do here. ”
Reporting by Arvind Sriram in Bengaluru; Edited by Robert Birsel