Emirates Team NZ Extend World Series Lead in Bermuda   19 Oct 2015

EMIRATES TEAM NZ EXTEND WORLD SERIES LEAD IN BERMUDA

Emirates Team New Zealand extended its lead in the overall Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series today in Bermuda, ending the 2015 series ten points clear on top of the points table of its nearest rival Oracle Team USA, and 13 points clear of Land Rover BAR.

For the third consecutive Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series, Emirates Team New Zealand have won the vitally important final race of the regatta.

Having come second overall in Portsmouth and being victorious in Gothenburg, in Bermuda this week the team finished the event in an agonizingly close second place coming runner up to Sweden’s Artemis Racing by a single place on the water.

“Obviously we would have really liked to win here in Bermuda, but Artemis showed a lot of guts today to win, but with the big picture in mind we are really happy to have finished the year with a solid lead in the overall series,” said a satisfied skipper Glenn Ashby.

“The importance of each and every point, and every place in every race for that matter, in the world series cannot be underestimated, after all these points all add up to actual race points in the Louis Vuitton Qualifier series, and potentially into the actual America’s Cup in 2017.”

After the first days racing in Bermuda was abandoned yesterday, the race committee ran three races today in perfect 10- 12 knot, flat water conditions in front of a huge spectator fleet on the water.

The racing was perhaps the most intense witnessed on the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series this year. No team got through the day without challenges on the racecourse, and the regatta was decided by the final race yet again.

The Emirates Team New Zealand crew did all it could to win the regatta by winning the final race, however Artemis managed to make up the place it needed to go two points clear and win the regatta after a second and a first in previous two races- as well as surviving a dramatic collision with the umpire boat in the pre start.

It has been an exciting Louis Vuitton World Series of racing in 2015, which the young Emirates Team New Zealand crew can be happy with.

“If you had told us six months ago that we would be in this position having barely sailed as a group together in these modified foiling AC45’s we probably would have laughed right at you. Especially when you take into consideration the time the other teams have had sailing together.” Said young helmsman Peter Burling

“I guess its just an illustration, not only of the talent we have within the team now, but also the potential we have to get better and better over the next two years. We have only just started down this road and we are looking pretty good, and most importantly we are having a lot of fun as well.”

ENDS

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