October 4, 2024 • 10 mins
The America's Cup challenger has been decided.
Ineos Britannia will race Team New Zealand for the Auld Mug in Barcelona after beating Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli in the Louis Vuitton Cup.
Sailing professor Mark Orams joins the show to discuss how INEOS managed to take home the Louis Vuitton Cup.
“While it was certainly a battle all the way through the first part of this Louis Vuitton Challenger finals, once they really got the advantage, they just pressed that home.”
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Fine
from Newstalk ZEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Team New Zealand have their challenger for the thirty seventh
America's Cup off the coast of Barcelonatania rules the waves
the Mediterranean A seven for victory. DAF we talked and
we'll meet Emirate Tea New Zealand. Yes, Aeos Britannia will
attempt to pry the old mug from the kiwis. After
beating Luna ross A seven to four in the Challenger
(00:34):
Series final, the Sir Ben Ainsley led boat needed just
the one victory overnight to seal their spot in the
Cup match, winning the first of the two races planned.
The Cup match is scheduled to begin next Sunday. New
Zealand time. Let's bring in former New Zealand and world
champion sailor Team New Zealand member and now Professor of
Sport and Recreation at the Auckland University of Technology, Professor
(00:58):
Mark orams Mark. It was four all in the race
to seven very even, but Ineos Britannia won the last three.
So what changed?
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Yes? I just think that any Ospretanna has been the
team that's shown the most improvement over this entire series,
and in fact they're a bit average right back in
the preliminary Gadter sort of six weeks ago. But what
they've managed to do is to be the most improved team.
And while it was certainly a battle all the way
through the first part of the Slubton Challenger Finals, once
(01:28):
they really got the advantage, they just pressed a home
and actually, looking back on the career of Sir Ben Ainsley,
this is a pattern for him. He is really ruthless
and when he gets his tail up, he is very,
very difficult to stop, and that permeates throughout the entire team.
So the boats were incredibly evenly matched. But those last
three races, Syven Ainsley as the star, but at Helm
(01:51):
dominated the start and then got the first cross and
then just shut down the race from there for three
straight wins to close it out.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Apart from dominating the start, Spetter, where did the other
main improvements come Across the last couple of months or so.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
They've introduced a few new pieces of kit, but nothing
remarkably different. What they've learned to do is just to
actually sail the boat better. They've focused very much on
just trying to get their moting right. They changed a
few of their routines in terms of their mark roundings
and they've just slowly incrementally improved and that's been a
(02:26):
remarkable thing to watch. Actually, I certainly see them as
a team that's well worthy of taking on Team New Zealand.
And it's not just their improvement, of course. The other
advantage that they have is the momentum of and the
race readiness they'll have of seventeen pretty tough races over
the last two and a half weeks well meanwhile, Team
(02:48):
New Zealand's had none. So it's going to be interesting
and a big challenge for Team New Zealand, who come
in a little bit cold in terms of race readiness
next weekend. Whereas Anyos Britannia's nailed down a prestart routine.
They've shown that they've got the ability to make the
correct key decisions at critical moments to shut down a race.
If they get their nose in front, they're going to
(03:09):
be pretty hard to get past.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
All right, I want to talk more about the America's
Cup match in a moment, just on Lunarossa mark. How
will they reflect on their regatta.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
I think in many ways they'll rue the gear breakages
they had. Two races were handed to Britannia because the
gear breakages on Lunarossa at this level, that's enormously disappointing
for them. In contrast, Britannia's had an incredibly reliable boat
that they've just had complete faith in, whereas Lunarrossa not.
So I'm not saying they would have won those races,
(03:40):
but certainly you hand two points like that in a
really even series, that's not something that anybody would want.
I'm incredibly impressed with the way that they've sailed, and
perhaps it's worth reflecting because Jimmy Spittle has announced his
retirement overnight from America's Cup Sailing. An amazing leader, what
(04:01):
an amazing competitor he has been, and over twenty years
in the sport, and his calm presence on board, his communication,
his evenness no matter whether they are in front or behind,
or whether something had gone wrong or not, deeply deeply impressive.
And I know that as key, we love to hate
(04:21):
an opponent and we remember the sort of heartbreak of
San Francisco and cast Jimmy Spittle as a villain then,
but actually he's a decent guy, great sailor and an
extremely good leader that he's developed into over the years.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Indeed, all right, let's look at the America's Cup match.
You talked about Team New Zealand potentially going in cold,
having not had any competitive racing since the early stages
of the Louis Vuitton, which of course didn't really count anyway,
but they at least they got out on the water.
How do they negate that, because, as you say, any
Ospritannia are coming.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
In hot, Yeah, they sure are, and that's quite difficult
to negate. So first things first is they need to
concentrate on ensuring that they get the pre start and
the start right, and they will have been doing a
lot of homework around that, so they need to have
a playbook so if they do this, then we do that,
and if they respond here, we will do this. So
(05:14):
they pre planned all of that out and that they
have that playbook and routine or the choreography really clear
in their mind so that they don't go into it
having to react and respond to Sir Ben Ainsley's aggression,
because that's what he will want if they go in
in that sort of situation, they'll get owned. So they
need to really get their routines and playbooks sorted and
(05:37):
to implement that and to have the ability to actually
take the initiative as opposed to respond. What they want
is at a minimum to get off even to get
clean and even off the line, and then they will
have confidence in Team New Zealand that tye hood of
their boat will have at least even and possibly a
(05:58):
speed edge. So if you can get off the line clean,
if you can manufacture that first cross in front, then
you have the ability to close down the race. What's
going to be much more difficult is if they're behind.
With the boundaries in these Mouldern America's Cup courses and
how short the races are they're around twenty minutes in length,
it's really difficult to manufacture a pass if the opponent
(06:21):
in front of you doesn't make any mistakes. So beyond
the priority of the prestart and the start and trying
to just get your nose in front, they'll need to
also have a playbook about how they if they're behind,
don't try and roll the dice and take a high
risk early on and fall further behind, but just to
keep it close, keep chipping away and look for the
(06:42):
opportunity to manufacture a pass. So they know all this
the challenge of courses. They haven't had the chance to
implement it in quite some time and as you pointed
out in the round robins, it counted for nothing for them,
so very different when the pressure is on. So composure
will be a big focus for the Team New Zealand
crew over this America's Cup series.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
Just for reference, Michael on that on that difficulty in
passing movements during the race, how often during the whole
regatta have passes been successfully implemented by any of these boats.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
Well, and certainly in the finals less and less so,
And that's because the boats were so evenly matched. Interesting
that any OUs Britannia and Lunarrossa Prataparelli actually quite different
boats design wise, their foil packages different, even where they
position their sailors and foil flight controllers on the boat
is different. And yet they were so incredibly even in
(07:39):
terms of their boat speed across a wide range of conditions.
So that's what really surprised me. But when you've got
really even boat speed, as is tradition and match racing,
sailing the start and the first cross is incredibly important,
but it's different if you have speed differentials. So earlier
(07:59):
in the comp and the round robins, when we had
greater differences in speed, then you did a number of
passes where a slower boat that was in front managed
to get a good start, eventually comes under pressure and
the trailing boat who's a little bit quicker can crack
them and then when they get past them, they stretch.
So Team New Zealand did that a couple of times
(08:19):
in the round robin. So it's still a boat speed race.
So Team New Zealand has been busy, even though they're
not race ready, they've been busy developing their boat further.
They had old sales on during the round robin, they
didn't have their final foil configuration, so they will be
hoping and perhaps have some confidence that the package that
(08:41):
they've developed is going to have an edge and they
will if stay and make that stick and they can
get good start and not end up getting owned by
Sir Ben Ainsley in the pre starts, then I think
that's their best shot.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Team New Zealand against any Ospritannia. From Nick Sunday, New
Zealand time for the thirty seventh America's Cup. Mark love
chatting sailing with you. Thanks so much for your.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
Expertise, pleasure Piney.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Thanks mate, No, thank you mate. That's Mark Orams, Professor
Mark Orams with some real deep understanding of sailing obviously.
So it's Ayos Britannia up against Team New Zealand starting
next Sunday morning, New Zealand time, same format as the
Louis Bitton A best of thirteen series. So the first
boat to claim seven race wins will claim the America's Cup,
(09:28):
first contested back in eighteen fifty one, the thirty seventh
running of the America's Cup, Team New Zealand against Inyos Britannia.
And as you heard Mark Orum say during that chat,
Luna rossa Coe helmsman Jimmy Spittel, a larger than life
personality in sailing circles, has announced his retirement from sailing.
Speaker 4 (09:47):
This is definitely my last one as an athlete. I
meaned I skip it. My first team at nineteen in
nineteen ninety nine, and I've driven a boat in every
Cup up until now. And if you told me this
is where the sport would be back then when I started,
I mean, I probably would have driven you to the
mental hospital myself.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
So a slight correction has ret i'ment from America's Cup sailing.
We may well see Jimmy Spittle do other sailing, but
that's it for now anyway, And again who knows, But
of course we'll always remember him for steering Oracle Team
USA to that stunning victory over Team New Zealand back
in twenty thirteen, coming from eight one down to win
(10:27):
it nine to eight, one of the great comebacks of
all time in any sport.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk zed B weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Fine
from Newstalk ZEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Team New Zealand have their challenger for the thirty seventh
America's Cup off the coast of Barcelonatania rules the waves
the Mediterranean A seven for victory. DAF we talked and
we'll meet Emirate Tea New Zealand. Yes, Aeos Britannia will
attempt to pry the old mug from the kiwis. After
beating Luna ross A seven to four in the Challenger
(00:34):
Series final, the Sir Ben Ainsley led boat needed just
the one victory overnight to seal their spot in the
Cup match, winning the first of the two races planned.
The Cup match is scheduled to begin next Sunday. New
Zealand time. Let's bring in former New Zealand and world
champion sailor Team New Zealand member and now Professor of
Sport and Recreation at the Auckland University of Technology, Professor
(00:58):
Mark orams Mark. It was four all in the race
to seven very even, but Ineos Britannia won the last three.
So what changed?
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Yes? I just think that any Ospretanna has been the
team that's shown the most improvement over this entire series,
and in fact they're a bit average right back in
the preliminary Gadter sort of six weeks ago. But what
they've managed to do is to be the most improved team.
And while it was certainly a battle all the way
through the first part of the Slubton Challenger Finals, once
(01:28):
they really got the advantage, they just pressed a home
and actually, looking back on the career of Sir Ben Ainsley,
this is a pattern for him. He is really ruthless
and when he gets his tail up, he is very,
very difficult to stop, and that permeates throughout the entire team.
So the boats were incredibly evenly matched. But those last
three races, Syven Ainsley as the star, but at Helm
(01:51):
dominated the start and then got the first cross and
then just shut down the race from there for three
straight wins to close it out.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Apart from dominating the start, Spetter, where did the other
main improvements come Across the last couple of months or so.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
They've introduced a few new pieces of kit, but nothing
remarkably different. What they've learned to do is just to
actually sail the boat better. They've focused very much on
just trying to get their moting right. They changed a
few of their routines in terms of their mark roundings
and they've just slowly incrementally improved and that's been a
(02:26):
remarkable thing to watch. Actually, I certainly see them as
a team that's well worthy of taking on Team New Zealand.
And it's not just their improvement, of course. The other
advantage that they have is the momentum of and the
race readiness they'll have of seventeen pretty tough races over
the last two and a half weeks well meanwhile, Team
(02:48):
New Zealand's had none. So it's going to be interesting
and a big challenge for Team New Zealand, who come
in a little bit cold in terms of race readiness
next weekend. Whereas Anyos Britannia's nailed down a prestart routine.
They've shown that they've got the ability to make the
correct key decisions at critical moments to shut down a race.
If they get their nose in front, they're going to
(03:09):
be pretty hard to get past.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
All right, I want to talk more about the America's
Cup match in a moment, just on Lunarossa mark. How
will they reflect on their regatta.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
I think in many ways they'll rue the gear breakages
they had. Two races were handed to Britannia because the
gear breakages on Lunarossa at this level, that's enormously disappointing
for them. In contrast, Britannia's had an incredibly reliable boat
that they've just had complete faith in, whereas Lunarrossa not.
So I'm not saying they would have won those races,
(03:40):
but certainly you hand two points like that in a
really even series, that's not something that anybody would want.
I'm incredibly impressed with the way that they've sailed, and
perhaps it's worth reflecting because Jimmy Spittle has announced his
retirement overnight from America's Cup Sailing. An amazing leader, what
(04:01):
an amazing competitor he has been, and over twenty years
in the sport, and his calm presence on board, his communication,
his evenness no matter whether they are in front or behind,
or whether something had gone wrong or not, deeply deeply impressive.
And I know that as key, we love to hate
(04:21):
an opponent and we remember the sort of heartbreak of
San Francisco and cast Jimmy Spittle as a villain then,
but actually he's a decent guy, great sailor and an
extremely good leader that he's developed into over the years.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Indeed, all right, let's look at the America's Cup match.
You talked about Team New Zealand potentially going in cold,
having not had any competitive racing since the early stages
of the Louis Vuitton, which of course didn't really count anyway,
but they at least they got out on the water.
How do they negate that, because, as you say, any
Ospritannia are coming.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
In hot, Yeah, they sure are, and that's quite difficult
to negate. So first things first is they need to
concentrate on ensuring that they get the pre start and
the start right, and they will have been doing a
lot of homework around that, so they need to have
a playbook so if they do this, then we do that,
and if they respond here, we will do this. So
(05:14):
they pre planned all of that out and that they
have that playbook and routine or the choreography really clear
in their mind so that they don't go into it
having to react and respond to Sir Ben Ainsley's aggression,
because that's what he will want if they go in
in that sort of situation, they'll get owned. So they
need to really get their routines and playbooks sorted and
(05:37):
to implement that and to have the ability to actually
take the initiative as opposed to respond. What they want
is at a minimum to get off even to get
clean and even off the line, and then they will
have confidence in Team New Zealand that tye hood of
their boat will have at least even and possibly a
(05:58):
speed edge. So if you can get off the line clean,
if you can manufacture that first cross in front, then
you have the ability to close down the race. What's
going to be much more difficult is if they're behind.
With the boundaries in these Mouldern America's Cup courses and
how short the races are they're around twenty minutes in length,
it's really difficult to manufacture a pass if the opponent
(06:21):
in front of you doesn't make any mistakes. So beyond
the priority of the prestart and the start and trying
to just get your nose in front, they'll need to
also have a playbook about how they if they're behind,
don't try and roll the dice and take a high
risk early on and fall further behind, but just to
keep it close, keep chipping away and look for the
(06:42):
opportunity to manufacture a pass. So they know all this
the challenge of courses. They haven't had the chance to
implement it in quite some time and as you pointed
out in the round robins, it counted for nothing for them,
so very different when the pressure is on. So composure
will be a big focus for the Team New Zealand
crew over this America's Cup series.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
Just for reference, Michael on that on that difficulty in
passing movements during the race, how often during the whole
regatta have passes been successfully implemented by any of these boats.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
Well, and certainly in the finals less and less so,
And that's because the boats were so evenly matched. Interesting
that any OUs Britannia and Lunarrossa Prataparelli actually quite different
boats design wise, their foil packages different, even where they
position their sailors and foil flight controllers on the boat
is different. And yet they were so incredibly even in
(07:39):
terms of their boat speed across a wide range of conditions.
So that's what really surprised me. But when you've got
really even boat speed, as is tradition and match racing,
sailing the start and the first cross is incredibly important,
but it's different if you have speed differentials. So earlier
(07:59):
in the comp and the round robins, when we had
greater differences in speed, then you did a number of
passes where a slower boat that was in front managed
to get a good start, eventually comes under pressure and
the trailing boat who's a little bit quicker can crack
them and then when they get past them, they stretch.
So Team New Zealand did that a couple of times
(08:19):
in the round robin. So it's still a boat speed race.
So Team New Zealand has been busy, even though they're
not race ready, they've been busy developing their boat further.
They had old sales on during the round robin, they
didn't have their final foil configuration, so they will be
hoping and perhaps have some confidence that the package that
(08:41):
they've developed is going to have an edge and they
will if stay and make that stick and they can
get good start and not end up getting owned by
Sir Ben Ainsley in the pre starts, then I think
that's their best shot.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Team New Zealand against any Ospritannia. From Nick Sunday, New
Zealand time for the thirty seventh America's Cup. Mark love
chatting sailing with you. Thanks so much for your.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
Expertise, pleasure Piney.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Thanks mate, No, thank you mate. That's Mark Orams, Professor
Mark Orams with some real deep understanding of sailing obviously.
So it's Ayos Britannia up against Team New Zealand starting
next Sunday morning, New Zealand time, same format as the
Louis Bitton A best of thirteen series. So the first
boat to claim seven race wins will claim the America's Cup,
(09:28):
first contested back in eighteen fifty one, the thirty seventh
running of the America's Cup, Team New Zealand against Inyos Britannia.
And as you heard Mark Orum say during that chat,
Luna rossa Coe helmsman Jimmy Spittel, a larger than life
personality in sailing circles, has announced his retirement from sailing.
Speaker 4 (09:47):
This is definitely my last one as an athlete. I
meaned I skip it. My first team at nineteen in
nineteen ninety nine, and I've driven a boat in every
Cup up until now. And if you told me this
is where the sport would be back then when I started,
I mean, I probably would have driven you to the
mental hospital myself.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
So a slight correction has ret i'ment from America's Cup sailing.
We may well see Jimmy Spittle do other sailing, but
that's it for now anyway, And again who knows, But
of course we'll always remember him for steering Oracle Team
USA to that stunning victory over Team New Zealand back
in twenty thirteen, coming from eight one down to win
(10:27):
it nine to eight, one of the great comebacks of
all time in any sport.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk zed B weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
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