Race Report:  Challenger Semi-Final

Auckland, February 11, 2009

Damiani Italia trails in the Semi-Final against BMW Oracle. Photo:©2009 Chris Cameron/ETNZ

Semi-Final:

BMW Oracle Racing (NZL 92) vs. Damiani Italia (NZL 84)

Could the Italian’s good luck continue against the experienced crew onboard BMW Oracle Racing?

With Damiani entering on starboard from the committee boat end, BMW Oracle crossed ahead and avoided the dial-up, heading to the very back of the start box.  BMW Oracle gybed, allowing the Italians to get ahead. 

Oracle gybed ahead of the tacking Damiani and the two boats separated again, heading on starboard toward the line and early.   Damiani bore off down the line, with BMW Oracle getting just ahead and to windward.

Halfway up the beat and nearing the layline, Damiani tried to shake off the windward BMW Oracle with three luffs in succession, but it wasn’t enough to rattle Russell Coutts.  Damiani got the worst of it, the gap lengthening, 15 seconds at the top mark. 

Damiani went for a gybe set with no pole  snookering BMW Oracle, if they were looking, by having the pole on the deck to fake the bear-away.  But the split was for naught, as the delta at the gate was up to 24 seconds.  The teams split the gate, but BMW Oracle was not about to let the Italians get away, and kept a fairly close cover up the beat,  the lead at 29 seconds at the second windward. 

There were some tense moments as the lead decreased aided by a bad gybe by BMW Oracle, but 400m was as far as the Americans were willing to let Damiani get.  Maintaining  cover, Oracle beating the Damiani by 35 seconds at the finish.

Vasco Vascotto, Skipper, Damiani Italia:
I’m not stupid enough that I do not realize this is a great result!  I would like to come back to this with proper preparation -- I hope in the future there are more regattas of this kind!  I hope this makes the people in Italy have more passion for our team and I hope it inspires trust in us – especially among sponsors!

-- Reporting by Diane Swintal for CupInfo/©2009 CupInfo

Damiani Italia trails in the Semi-Final against BMW Oracle.
Photo:©2009 Paul Todd/OutsideImages.co.nz

Links of Interest:

Race Reports:
RR2: Day 5  Day 4  Day 3  Day 2  Day 1

Rounds Robin 1 and 2:
Head-to-Head Results and Standings

CupInfo's Main Louis Vuitton Pacific Series page

Visit the Official Louis Vuiton Pacific Series Web Site
 

Around the Viaduct:
The teams getting the most mileage this week are the tender drivers for both BMW Oracle Racing and Emirates Team New Zealand.  The BMW Oracle guys came from the trimaran program in San Diego and will return there once the two boats are packed up and stored in the team’s boat builder in Warkworth.

In addition to getting the two boats to and from the race course, it’s up to the BMW Oracle guys to get onboard the boats at the end of each race and go through the checklist to make sure that everything is in working order before the next team boards.  Some teams are careful to report any problems and, of course, some are not so meticulous.  Just don’t expect them to tell you who falls into which category