Emirates Team New Zealand completed a 37 sec win over INEOS Britannia in race 9 to take a 7 – 2 Cup victory.
This completes a hat-trick of America’s Cup wins for the New Zealand team.
INEOS Britannia, the British Challenger of Record racing for the Royal Yacht Squadron Ltd, saw its campaign to win the 37th America’s Cup come to an end after a 7-2 defeat to the Defender, Emirates Team New Zealand.
The defeat concluded a historic campaign for Britain, which saw INEOS Britannia become the first-ever British team to win an America’s Cup Challenger Series, the first British team to race in the America’s Cup Match in 60 years, and the first British boat to score points in the Match in 90 years.
These achievements combined set a new standard for British sailing in the America’s Cup.
The final race . . .
The ninth race of the Match began with INEOS Britannia dominating the start. Emirates Team New Zealand had to tack away but they managed to find a shift and then creep up to steal the lead. The Kiwis didn’t put a foot wrong in the second leg, and their lead extended to 360m.
On the third leg, INEOS Britannia closed in fast to the Defenders, and the gap reduced to just 1m, but Ainslie and his crew were unable to get ahead before the third mark.
The Brits managed to stay close to the Defenders until the Kiwis gained on the penultimate leg. From there, they were uncatchable, and Emirates Team New Zealand crossed the finish line first to secure the three-peat and end the America’s Cup dream for INEOS Britannia.
Speaking after the day’s action, Team Principal and Skipper Ben Ainslie said:
“Firstly, we want to pass our congratulations on to Emirates Team New Zealand. They raced a great series and continue to dominate the event with their three-peat, making them the greatest America’s Cup team of all time.
It goes without saying that I could not be prouder of our team’s efforts, the hard work and determination over this three-year campaign has never wavered. The team has been going for 10 years now, and this has by far been the campaign that has shown the most improvement.”
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Chairman of INEOS, said: “Reflecting on the past eight weeks, we’re all very proud of what Sir Ben Ainslie and the team have achieved. There can be no denying that there have been ups and downs along the way; which is never good for the blood pressure! But that’s sport, and that’s why we love it.
