The first day of the Final of the Louis Vuitton Cup Challenger Series will take place on 26 Sep between Ineos Britannia and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli.
The America’s Cup Challenger will be the first team to win seven races.
The schedule is for two races per day on Sep 26, 28, 29, Oct 1, 2, 4 and a decider if required on 5 Oct 2024. The start time each day is 13:00hrs UK (14:00 CET).
The winner of the Louis Vuitton Cup Final becomes the actual Challenger and will meet the Defender, Emirates Team New Zealand, in the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Match from 12 Oct 2024.
Weather conditions will no doubt continue to play a critical role in the Final racing, with either team being handed unexpected wins or losses on the whim of the weather gods.
Weather Forecast Thursday:
Wind – South West 15–17 knots. Gusts up to 20 knots.
Sea State – Southerly 0.9-1.3m at 5s period
Temp – 23 – 26°C
Day 1 of the Louis Vuitton Cup Final live in Barcelona.
At the Louis Vuitton Cup Media Conference held in Barcelona on the eve of the Challenger Final, the helms are as expected, Dylan Fletcher and Ben Ainslie – co-helmsman of INEOS Britannia, and Jimmy Spithill and Francesco Bruni of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli.
INEOS Britannia Team Principal and Skipper Ben Ainslie said he was expecting the final to be “a really close-fought battle”, especially after their match-ups in the Round Robin qualifying series, where INEOS Britannia won two out of its three races against Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli.
Joining Ainslie on-board the team’s AC75 race boat, Britannia, for the Louis Vuitton Cup Final will be Dylan Fletcher as Co-Helm, Bleddyn Mon and Leigh McMillan as Trimmers and four Cyclors, cycling sailors, who power the boat’s hydraulic system.
The four Cyclors on-board Britannia come from a pool of nine athletes, who rotate on and off the boat between races to ensure maximum performance.
They include America’s Cup veterans David ‘Freddie’ Carr, Ben Cornish, Matt Gotrel, Neil Hunter and Luke Parkinson, as well as America’s Cup rookies Harry Leask, Matt Rossiter, James Skulczuk and Ryan Todhunter.
