Louis Vuitton Cup Day 6: Luna Rossa defeats Orient Express and secures a spot in the semifinals
by Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli 5 Sep 2024 16:54 BST
5 September 2024
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli vs. Orient Express Racing Team on Louis Vuitton Cup Round Robin Day 6 © Ian Roman / America's Cup
With the storm that had kept the 37th America's Cup AC75s on dock yesterday out of the way, racing resumed today under clear skies, with southerly 10 knot winds and much cooler temperatures.
In the second match of the day, Luna Rossa defeated the French team Orient Express Racing and earned a fifth point among the challengers of the Louis Vuitton Cup, thus ensuring the team's access to the semifinals.
MATCH #19 - ITA vs FRA
Starting on the left side of the line, after controlling the French boat in prestart, Luna Rossa tacked right away to close off her opponents who had extended to the right side of the course. For a few seconds the boats stayed close, but despite the good performance from Orient Express Luna Rossa showed a higher speed and with a flawless execution increased the lead and rounded the first gate with a 10-second lead. On the downwind leg the gap increased, although staying in control of the French was no easy task for the crew led by Jimmy Spithill and Francesco Bruni, as the light and patchy wind was such that every maneuver put the boat at risk of falling off the foils. Another solid performance from Luna Rossa saw the boat cross the finish line with a lead of over a minute, sanctioning the team's fifth point and a sure spot in the semifinals.
Winner: ITA
Luna Rossa's crew today featured Jimmy Spithill and Francesco Bruni at the helm, with Umberto Molineris and Andrea Tesei as trimmers. The cyclors were Enrico Voltolini, Bruno Rosetti, Cesare Gabbia and Luca Kirwan.