Brits on top after Day 1 of Omega Cup matchracing in Auckland
Shifty winds and strong tides on Auckland’s Waitemata harbour tested the teams competing in the opening day of the Omega Auckland Match Racing Regatta today and produced a results board that defied any form guide.
Photography: Chris Cameron/ETNZ
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Spectators were treated to extremely close racing, with spectacular luffing duels, tight finishes, penalties and collisions as teams fought for ascendancy. At the end of a full day’s racing, Ben Ainslie of Great Britain topped the leaderboard with a 6-2 score while Dean Barker (NZL, Adam Minoprio (NZL) and Bertrand Pace (FRA) were on 5-3 each. 'The level is very high,' commented America’s Cup veteran Pace. 'Everybody can beat everybody else.' This regatta has pitched young rising stars Adam Minoprio of New Zealand and his arch rival Torvar |
Mirsky of Australia against a fleet of more seasoned America’s Cup campaigners. Minoprio and Mirsky, who are ranked one and two in the world, are having their work cut out against more experienced match racers with lower rankings because of their infrequent appearances on the world match racing circuit. One of the closely watched battles of the day involved Minoprio against Dean Barker and his Emirates Team New Zealand crew, with the young BlackMagic team claiming a valuable victory by 8 seconds. |
Photography: Chris Cameron/ETNZ
Results after eight Flights
Ben Ainslie (GBR) 6-2
Dean Barker (NZL) 5-3
Adam Minoprio (NZL) 5-3
Bertrand Pace (FRA) 5-3
Karol Jablonski (POL) 4-4
Torvar Mirsky (AUS) 4-4
Chris Dickson (NZL) 3 / 5
Magnus Holmberg (SWE) 3 / 5
Sebastien Col (FRA) 3 / 5
Francesco Bruni (ITA) 2 / 6
Source: Sail-World
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