The Prada Cup is going to be close, says Sir Ben Ainslie ahead of the Final, but he\u2019s confident the British team can match Luna Rossa in boat handling as racing for a place in the America’s Cup resumes this weekend\u201cI think it will be a very, very closely fought final, that\u2019s my expectation,\u201d Ben Ainslie said speaking to\u00a0Yachting World just days before Prada Cup Final between his British America\u2019s Cup team INEOS Team UK and the Italian Challenger Luna Rossa.
\nOpposing Prada Cup finalists Luna Rossa do not, Ainslie observed in a team update, seem to have any obvious weak areas. But in the white-hot competition of AC75 racing, you do not need your opponent to be weak, only for your team to be slightly stronger. Where does he think INEOS Team UK has an advantage?
\nTeam principal and skipper Sir Ben Ainslie. Photo: Team INEOS UK \/Lloyd Images
\n\u201cI think just in race craft, really,\u201d Ainslie told Yachting World. \u201cI think in throwing the boat around in tight situations, our sailors have done a brilliant job. So far \u2013 we\u2019ve still got to keep improving. But I\u2019ve got a lot of confidence in our sailing team to be able to at least match the Italians in these close boat-on-boat situations, which you may well see quite a few of.
\n\u201cAnd it\u2019ll be interesting to see the heavy air performance. We haven\u2019t really had much of a real [test against] them in say over 14, 15 knots of wind speed against the Italians. And it\u2019ll be interesting to see if one of us has a jump in those conditions.\u201d
\nArticle continues below\u2026<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\tBritish America\u2019s Cup team: Ainslie\u2019s comeback explained<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAfter the first AC75 racing we saw in the America\u2019s Cup cycle, the British team looked to be in trouble\u2026<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\tAmerica\u2019s Cup boats: How they work and why they\u2019re unique<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe AC75s, the America\u2019s Cup boats currently racing in the Prada Cup and that will be used for next month\u2019s\u2026<\/p>\n
Given that the British America\u2019s Cup Challengers are expected to be faster in stronger conditions, it would be understandable if Ainslie and team were disappointed with the recent decision to keep the upper wind limit for racing at 21 knots, instead of extending it as planned to 23 knots.
\n\u201cWe were asked our opinion,\u201d Ainslie said diplomatically, \u201cBear in mind it\u2019s not our decision. That\u2019s a decision for the Defender and Challenger of Record.
\n\u201cOur opinion was that we didn\u2019t think we should be changing the wind limits at such a late stage. But if the other two teams genuinely felt that there was a safety element to this, then we weren\u2019t going to stand in anyone\u2019s way. And importantly, we weren\u2019t going to moan about it, it\u2019s their decision. We wouldn\u2019t have changed it, but it\u2019s their decision. And we\u2019ll roll with it.\u201d
\nAinslie\u2019s Prada Cup Final pre-race advantage?
\nHaving gone straight through to the Prada Cup finals, while Luna Rossa had to sail off against American Magic, INEOS Team UK have gained a valuable week to make additional modifications. Ainslie was understandably reluctant to share much detail, but the team are clearly working to build on many of the improvements they had made over Christmas.
\n\u201cWe clearly had to use that time and, we all know it\u2019s obvious to everyone that the lighter airs is our potential area of weakness. So that\u2019s been our primary focus. And we have made changes across the board to the boat, not just under the water, but above the water as well.
\nPhoto: Borlenghi Studios \/ COR
\n\u201cWe don\u2019t know ultimately how much that\u2019s closed the gap versus the Italians in the lighter airs. We certainly hope and expect that it has. So we\u2019ve got to, quite quickly as we start this series, try and get that balance of understanding what our performance is and then adapt to that as we go through the races. That\u2019s part of the trick.\u201d
\nBy contrast, Lunna Rossa helmsman Jimmy Spithill has spoken about why he thinks continuing to race in the semi-finals will have given his team a competitive advantage. \u201cGiven how little racing everyone has had, I\u2019m glad we went through the semi finals \u2013 this has pushed our development and learning at the same time,\u201d he commented afterwards.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s interesting,\u201d countered Ainslie, \u201cWe were asked before, what do you want to do? I said, yeah, we want to get straight there for Prada Cup Final. We won the race, went though to the final and bought ourselves the time. I think it perhaps would have been interesting [to have] asked Jimmy before the race, what would you rather have done?\u201d
\n\u201cBut, it doesn\u2019t really matter you know, we can\u2019t we can\u2019t control what Luna Rossa do. We respect them massively. We know it\u2019s going to be a tough race. All we can do is use the time that we had to get ourselves in the best possible position.\u201d
\nAC75 closing speeds
\nIf expectations are correct, and the two boats are evenly matched, we could be set to see some extremely close match racing at incredible closing speeds. During the last race between INEOS Team UK and Luna Rossa there were no fewer than nine lead changes, including one famously fast port-starboard cross. Collision avoidance has taken on greater importance than ever.
\nPhoto: COR 36 \/ Studio Borlenghi
\n\u201cI think that\u2019s first and foremost in our minds of all of us who are racing these boats. I\u2019m pretty sure it\u2019s the same for all the helmsman,\u201d said Ainslie. \u201cYou don\u2019t want these boats coming together, particularly at the higher speeds, that could be catastrophic.
\n\u201cSo you\u2019re reliant on the other sailors, the other helmsman, and we\u2019re all going to push hard. But we all know just how serious it would be if the boats came together.\u201d
\nAinslie explained that, although the sailors are handling vast quantities of data on the AC75s, they do not have a computer-assisted view of the virtual \u2018safety diamond\u2019 which extends around each boat to help prevent collisions \u2013 that is only visible to umpires and online viewers. \u201cWe just have to judge that. There\u2019s no indication for us on the yacht in terms of where we are in terms of the diamond, we just have to judge that, it\u2019s quite tricky.\u201d
\nThe same applies in a crossing situation. \u201cWe don\u2019t we don\u2019t have any numbers at that point,\u201d Ainslie said. \u201cIt\u2019s just done off of your eyeball and your sort of gut instinct really \u2013 at, like, 90 kilometres an hour closing speeds. It\u2019s a bit like dodging the traffic on the M25.\u201d
\nIf the breeze fills in, the Prada Cup final could be spectacular. Watch all the action live online via the America\u2019s Cup YouTube or Facebook channels. British fans can also watch live the Prada Cup finals live on BBC iPlayer, BBC Red Button and BBC Sport website.
\nIf you enjoyed this\u2026.<\/p>\n
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The post Ben Ainslie: we can out-sail Luna Rossa in Prada Cup appeared first on Yachting World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Prada Cup is going to be close, says Sir Ben Ainslie ahead of the Final, but he\u2019s confident the British team can match Luna Rossa in boat handling as racing for a place in the America’s Cup resumes this … <\/p>\n