The British AC40 Athena Pathway team secured the final UniCredit Youth America’s Cup Semi-Final spot in a final race showdown in Barcelona.
The British team, led by Nick Robins, proved that they could handle the white-hot pressure of the UniCredit Youth America’s Cup. The final race saw the British really show their outright speed and potential when up against Emirates Team New Zealand for the final podium spot and qualification through to the Semi-Finals.
It was nip and tuck all the way around the course between the British and New Zealand crews, while, agonisingly, a technical issue on the first leg forced the French to retire.
Robins and his co-helm James Grummett kept it clean and sailed fast, pushing the leader NYYC American Magic all the way to the finish line, eventually finishing second by just a boat length. That was enough to take third in the qualifying series.
The Semi-Final of the UniCredit Youth America’s Cup is now confirmed with a fleet made up of the top three teams from Group A and Group B for a four-race series, scheduled for Tuesday, to decide the top two teams who will progress through to the UniCredit Youth America’s Cup Final.
That race, a one-on-one, winner-takes-all, match race will take place in between the first two races of the Louis Vuitton Cup Final on Thursday 26 September – ensuring maximum publicity for the fast-rising stars of tomorrow’s America’s Cup.
For now though all eyes are on tomorrow’s final fleet racing session of the UniCredit Youth America’s Cup scheduled for 13:00 UK Tuesday 24 September.
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