Dreaming of the America’s Cup, Luna Rossa studies the final – News

The question everyone is asking is who will be favored by the strong wind. In Barcelona, ​​strategists and analysts from Luna Rossa and Ineos Britannia are compulsively consulting weather forecasts and nautical maps in view of the first races of the Louis Vuitton Cup final. On Thursday, the two boats will take to the water for the first challenge that will award access to the America’s Cup final against New Zealand. Strong and intense winds are expected: between 13 and 15 knots, but gusts above twenty are not excluded. Conditions at the limit of practicability: above 21 knots the rules do not allow racing.
According to specialists, these weather conditions, on paper, could benefit the British hull as it performs better than the Italian one when there are wave oscillations. However, this is a theory that remains to be proven. In the semifinal against American Magic, the Prada Pirelli team raced at its best precisely in strong wind conditions, losing to the Americans only when the Catalan breeze dropped in intensity.
But as with a Formula 1 single-seater, everything will depend on the trim of the boat. This is why the crews are ‘testing’ the water very carefully in view of the final of the Challenger Selection Series. For the first time in the history of the competition, race director Ian Murray has allowed a joint training session between Luna Rossa, Ineos and New Zealand. The latter is the defender of the America’s Cup, the holder of the trophy, the one who must fight to finally take the cup home.
Grant Dalton, CEO of the New Zealand team, believes that Prada Pirelli will challenge them: “If I could choose between Luna Rossa and Britannia, from a sentimental point of view I would say the former because many members of Luna Rossa worked with us when we won in Bermuda in 2017 – he explains to SportMediaset -. But they scare me because they are a very strong team. This is why I would prefer to have Britannia as an opponent: perhaps because they have more fragile points having improved quickly. Luna Rossa has a very strong package and many certainties, which is why we will find ourselves facing them”.
Thursday and Friday are the days when the forecast indicates strong winds. In the following days – but the further you go the more imprecise the indications become – the weather should improve.
The Louis Vuitton final is expected to be very long. The race is the best of 13 races, meaning the first to reach seven victories wins. The calendar includes two match races per day on September 26, 28 and 29. Then the break before the new series of races on October 1, 2 and 4.
The possible 6-6 play-off will be held on Saturday 5 October. In the qualifying matches, the clashes between Luna Rossa and Ineos proved to be very balanced with the British closing the series ahead of the Italians.
For Luna Rossa it is the fifth final in the tournament reserved for challengers. Only the winning team will then face, starting from October 12, the defender, the New Zealand team.