America鈥檚 Cup rivals vow fierce battle
Print Edition
The time for talking is done in the America’s Cup, with the final races shaping up to be a blood match launched today on San Francisco Bay.
Oracle Team USA skipper Jimmy Spithill and Emirates Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker barely glanced at one another during a press conference on Thursday at which they each predicted racing will be fierce for yachting’s prized trophy.
“They probably both want to kill each other,” Emirates wing trimmer Glenn Ashby quipped when asked what the rival skippers, both of whom he has sailed with, had in common.
Spithill said that in a shocking turn of events, defending champion Oracle has become the underdog due to penalties imposed on the US team as the result of a cheating scandal.
“We found out only four days out from the Cup who our race team could be. We lost one of our key guys, and we start out Saturday two points behind,” Spithill said. “So yes, I think we are the underdog.”
Oracle was docked two points for cheating during preliminary regattas. One Oracle sailor and two shore team members were banned outright and one sailor suspended for four races after the team made illegal modifications to prototype boats it sailed in the America’s Cup World Series.
“We have the fight of our life on our hands,” Spithill said as he looked ahead to the 17-race series that starts today against the backdrop of Alcatraz and the iconic Golden Gate Bridge.
New Zealand will also bring its sailing passion to the Bay for the Cup finals, Barker promised. “We have done everything we can. The team is in very good spirits and excited now we can finally get to go racing. Whether you think you are the favorite or the underdog, it is two teams going racing.”
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