The British team Land Rover BAR got off to an almost perfect start to the 2016 America's Cup World Series in Oman. On the first day of the first regatta of the year, skipper Sir Ben Ainslie and his crew achieved two victories and a third place in three races. After a mediocre start, the Brits came up trumps in the last race in particular with a strong sailing and tactical performance and remarkably good positioning. With a courageous tack in light winds towards the Americans, they decided the exciting duel in the last race of the day in their favour in an impressive manner. The American Cup defenders, on the other hand, crossed the finish line last in one of the three races and, despite taking the lead in the third race of the day, were caught by the British in the second half of the race.
World series leader Emirates Team New Zealand, with shooting star Peter Burling at the wheel, had opened the day with a race win to the satisfaction of team boss Grant Dalton, but subsequently made several mistakes. In the second race, the Kiwi team received a penalty after a close duel with the Brits in the starting phase and only partially recovered. In the third race, the crew from New Zealand finished last and probably had to put up with harsh words from Dalton.
With these initial results, which could quickly be turned upside down again in tomorrow's "Super Sunday" in the double scored races, the trend of 2015 continues for the time being: the British, the Americans and the New Zealanders remain the top players for the time being at the start of the 2016 Louis Vouitton America's Cup World Series. They are also the ones occupying the podium places in the world series in a slightly different order after the 2015 regattas: Emirates Team New Zealand (144 points) is top of the overall standings ahead of Land Rover BAR (137 points) and Oracle Team USA (136 points).
The Austrian television channel Servus TV will once again be broadcasting the races live on Sunday from 11am to 12.30pm German time. Flanked by graphic overlays and co-commented by Olympic champion Hans Peter Steinacher, the action can be followed very well. The first broadcast on Saturday showed that the races on the more sophisticated AC 45s training catamarans have become more exciting. There were thrilling duels and three-way battles in a row. Despite the British dominance shown on the first day, the battle for victory in the area off Muscat is by no means decided. The double scoring races on the final day in particular made surprises in the final sprint possible last year. Winners will receive 20 points on Sunday, not 10.
Overall standings after the first day of the ACWS regatta in Oman:
Land Rover BAR (GBR), 28 points
Oracle Team USA (USA), 24 points
Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), 22 points
SoftBank Team Japan (JPN), 21 points
Team Artemis (SWE), 20 points
Groupama Team France (FRA), 20 points
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
