Racing in its second home, Emirates Team New Zealand won the Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai today, defeating the USA's BMW Oracle Racing in two straight races.

Today’s victory concluded an incredible performance by the team from Auckland, New Zealand, which over two years won four of five Louis Vuitton Trophy events and finished second in the other.

Adding extra luster to their performance, Dean Barker and his Kiwi team came from behind to win their last four races in Dubai, including the two today against BMW Oracle Racing, the outstanding performer during two weeks of match racing off the Dubai International Marine Club.

Italy’s Mascalzone Latino Audi won the day handsomely with skipper Gavin Brady scoring two first places. The French/German team All4One and Sweden’s Artemis Racing were second equal, while Emirates Team New Zealand was third.

The Emirates Team New Zealand crew raced today wearing black arm bands and with their ensign at half mast in a somber reminder of the Pike River coal mine explosion in New Zealand that claimed 29 lives. The team is planning a brief on-water ceremony tomorrow morning to pay their respects to the lost miners.

Skippers of the four semi-finalists chose their starting positions and their boats. BMW Oracle Racing chose to race fourth-seeded All4One while Emirates Team New Zealand will start against Synergy Russian Sailing Team.

“We chose All4One simply for the fact that they finished in fourth place,” said James Spithill, skipper of BMW Oracle Racing. “It’s never an easy decision but at the end of the day you have to go out there and beat them. It’s going to be a tough race. They’re not an easy team to race against.”

In the semi-finals the winners will be the first boats to win two races. The winners will race the finals on Saturday in a best of five series.

Competition between Sweden's Artemis Racing and the French/German team All4One in today's matches epitomized the character of racing at the Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai.

With just one match remaining in the first round robin, BMW Oracle Racing is unassailable at the top of the leaderboard with nine points. After that, the fleet is tightly grouped with just half a point separating the next four boats. Emirates Team New Zealand is in second place with 4.5 points. Sweden’s Artemis Racing, Synergy Russian Sailing Team and the French/German team All4One remain third-equal on four points. Italy’s Mascalzone Latino Audi team is sixth with two points.

Only Artemis Racing and Emirates Team New Zealand have a chance to improve their standing. They will race tomorrow in the final match of the first round robin. A victory for Artemis would see them overhaul the Kiwis to take over second place.

Provisional Results:
1. BMW ORACLE Racing, 9-1, 9 pts
2. Emirates Team New Zealand, 5-4, 4.5 pts *
=3. Artemis Racing, 4-5, 4 pts
=3. Synergy Russian Sailing Team, 4-6, 4 pts
=3. All4One, 4-6, 4 pts
6. Mascalzone Latino Audi Team, 3-7, 2 pts *
* Scoring penalty deducted by Umpires

Emirates Team New Zealand exposed the first cracks in the armour of the dominant BMW Oracle Racing team at the Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai today. The New Zealanders split race wins with the regatta leader, winning their second match by a nail-biting one-second margin over the fast advancing Americans.

Oracle skipper James Spithill had won the pair’s first match, preserving his team’s no-loss record after four days of racing off the host Dubai International Marine Club and putting the Kiwis on the back foot.

In an about-face, New Zealand’s Dean Barker grabbed control at the start of the second race and led the Americans around the course. The scoreboard now has BMW Oracle Racing on seven points and Emirates Team New Zealand in second place with 3.5 points. Sweden’s Artemis Racing, Synergy Russian Sailing Team and the French/German team All4One are third-equal on three points. Italy’s Mascalzone Latino Audi team is sixth with two points.

Day 3 - Provisional Results:
1. BMW ORACLE Racing, 7-1, 7 pts
2. Emirates Team New Zealand, 4-3, 3.5 pts *
= 3. Artemis Racing, 3-4, 3 pts
= 3. Synergy Russian Sailing Team, 3-5, 3 pts
= 3. All4One, 3-5, 3 pts
6. Mascalzone Latino Audi Team, 3-5, 2 pts *
* Scoring penalty deducted by Umpires

Emirates Team New Zealand won the Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena Sunday in an action-packed afternoon of match race sailing. Two races down and on match point the New Zealand boat that won the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland in February finally prevailed 3-2 against the SYNERGY Russian Sailing Team.



It was the first time in America’s Cup history that a Russian-flagged boat has reached the final of a Louis Vuitton-sponsored event and her mixed Russian and international crew led by Polish skipper Karol Jablonski came very close to clinching the series.

A shifty easterly breeze that built slowly in speed provided excellent conditions on a warm, sunny final day of racing. Because there was no wind early, the petit final for third and fourth places was abandoned and the French/German team All4One was confirmed in third place, with Sweden’s Artemis fourth.

Final, Race Two: SYNERGY Russian Sailing Team def. Emirates Team New Zealand, 01:22
Final, Race Three: Emirates Team New Zealand def. SYNERGY Russian Sailing Team , 01:05
Final, Race Four: Emirates Team New Zealand def. SYNERGY Russian Sailing Team, 00:04

Louis Vuitton - Final Results
1. Emirates Team New Zealand
2. SYNERGY Russian Sailing Team
3. All4One
4. Artemis
5. Mascalzone Latino Audi Team
6. Azzurra
7. TEAMORIGIN
8. Luna Rossa
9. BMW Oracle Racing Team
10. ALEPH Sailing Team

Russia's SYNERGY Russian Sailing Team were unstoppable Saturday, winning their semi-final match 2-0 and then defeating Emirates Team New Zealand in their first final match.

The two semi-final races in light air marked the first time in America’s Cup history that a Russian-flagged boat has reached the final of a Louis Vuitton-sponsored event. The winds were light all day and Jablonski and his crew had to wait into early evening before their race against Emirates Team New Zealand.



In race 1 of the Final the Kiwi skipper Dean Barker deftly avoided a pre-start dialup, negating the starboard tack entry advantage of the Russian boat but Jablonski and his Kiwi tactician Rod Dawson won the pre-start battle and the start. The Kiwis came back to dominate the first three legs until the Russians took over at the last top mark.

Jablonski was aggressive in the pre-start as the teams circled, almost getting a hook on the Kiwi boat and forcing them away towards the committee before he made a speedy start at the pin. The Kiwis tacked to start on starboard close to the committee. Dean Barker gained slowly on a long drag race well beyond the port tack layline and held Jablonski out to round the top mark first.

They were level at the end of the run and the Russians worked the left to cross ahead of the Kiwis on port approaching the weather mark.

Ray Davies, ETNZ tactician said: "It was a bit disappointing. A really good start and good first beat. We had a bad gybe set, but were still comfortably ahead. The left gate was closer, but it wasn't a nice rounding. We took the favoured gate but coughed up quite a lot. He was getting good pressure on the left and we protected the wrong side on the second beat... Those guys sailed a really good race... We let ourselves down a bit. It wasn't our smoothest day on the water."

Final Race One: SYNERGY Russian Sailing Team def. Emirates Team New Zealand, 00:34

Semi-final Results
Semi-final One: Emirates Team New Zealand def. Artemis, 2-1
Semi-final Two: SYNERGY Russian Sailing Team def. All4One, 2-0

TeamOrigin did not get to race on Thursady in the final round robin and quarter final which confirmed the four semi-finalists for the Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena. They are the French/German boat All4One, Sweden"s Artemis, Emirates Team New Zealand and SYNERGY Russian Sailing Team.



Match races over the next three days in Version 5 America’s Cup boats off the Sardinian island of La Maddalena will determine the outcome of the two-week series. Tomorrow, Artemis will meet Team New Zealand and All4One will race SYNERGY.

One quarter-final was decided today. Fifth-placed SYNERGY defeated fourth-placed Mascalzone Latino two races to one. The only races sailed in the shifty northwest breeze were the last two of the round robin and those of the single quarter-final.

The remaining three boats went through to the semi-finals based on their performances in the round robin. All4One, in fourth place on Tuesday, won the round robin today, after defeating Sweden’s Artemis which had led on points throughout the week. The Swedish boat finished the round second. Emirates Team New Zealand finished the round third after defeating Mascalzone Latino.

TeamOrigin Trimmer Mike Mottl was given the all clear to head back to his hotel. He has suffered muscular damage and will not be sailing any further races during this regatta to allow him the time to make a full recovery.

Crews in the ten international teams spent another long day on the water at the Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena with the first race starting soon after 09:00 and the last not finishing until 17:30.



TeamOrigin took their third win, defeating Synergy Russian Sailing Team, by six seconds. TeamOrigin was bow-out in mid-line at the start with Synergy close to the committee boat. The Russians hung tough on the starboard tack but were forced away after two minutes. They led approaching the starboard layline, only to drop back in a left shift that put Ainslie ahead by 14 seconds at the top mark.

The boats rounded opposite leeward marks. Origin conceded valuable seconds as the gennaker went under the bow but held a handy lead. Karol Jablonski took the fight back approaching the top mark, up on Origin's hip on the port tack. The British were six seconds ahead around the mark and blunted Russians' attacks on the last run.

This latest victory puts the British team in joint third place with Mascalzone Latino, All4One and Synergy Russian Sailing Team. Tied for the lead are Artemis and Emirates Team New Zealand.

Other results Thursday:
Flight Sixteen, Race Two: Emirates Team New Zealand def Azzurra 00:13
Flight Six, Race One: Emirates Team New Zealand def ALEPH Sailing Team 00:29
Flight Fourteen, Race One: Mascalzone Latino Audi def Artemis, 00:46
Flight Sixteen, Race One: Synergy Russian Sailing Team def ALEPH Sailing Team, 00:33
Flight 22, Race One, Luna Rossa def BMW Oracle Racing, 00:22

Provisional win-loss leaderboard after Thursday racing:
=1. Artemis, 4-1, 4 points
=1. Emirates Team New Zealand, 4-1, 4 points
=3. Mascalzone Latino Audi Team, 4-1, 3 points *
=3. All4One, 3-3, 3 points

=3. Synergy Russian Sailing Team, 3-3, 3 points
=3. TEAMORIGIN, 3-3, 3 points
=7. Azzurra, 2-3, 2 points

=7. Luna Rossa, 2-5, 2 points
=9. BMW Oracle Racing Team, 1-4, 1 point
=10. ALEPH Sailing Team, 2-4, -2 points *
* Penalties deducted by Jury/Umpires

Watch it Live Here

A major start line collision knocked two America's Cup Class boats out of action at the Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena Tuesday and led to a one-race disqualification for the French ALEPH Sailing Team.



ALEPH struck the stern of the Italian entry Azzurra as the boats sped down the start line with 35 seconds remaining to the start gun. No one was injured but the bow of the French boat was knocked almost right off while the aft starboard quarter of the Italian boat was smashed in.

The French team was penalised three points after a Jury hearing last night. ALEPH was been penalised 1 point for ‘hard contact’ (assessed immediately after the incident) and a further 3 points for breaking RRS 14, the Racing Rule which governs ‘Avoiding Contact’.

While ALEPH acknowledged responsibility for the collision, the team maintained Azzurra contributed to the impact by altering course in a way that swung their transom towards the French bow.



But the Jury disagreed and absolved Azzurra fully, leaving the French team to shoulder the blame. This drops ALEPH from sixth to the bottom of the results table with minus two points.

The two boats involved are the BMW Oracle Racing Team Version 5 ACC boats USA98 and USA87 which have been chartered to the regatta organisers for the event. Oracle boatbuilders and technical experts are still assessing the damage.