America's Cup: Spithill's cross with the "Kiwis"

Jimmy Spithill probably wanted to bite the wheel on Sunday afternoon in San Francisco Bay. In the third race of the 34th America's Cup match, the helmsman of Cup defender Oracle Team USA finally got the long awaited and hard-fought penalty against the New Zealanders, but it still wasn't enough for the first winning point.

The American defenders were able to enjoy the good feeling of the leaders for just a quarter of an hour before the Kiwis flexed their muscles on the wind, demonstrated their tactical skills and turned the tables again. On this cross course, the men around helmsman Dean Barker made up a deficit of around 150 metres - and took the lead with outstanding speed, better positioning and flawless tacks. The rest of the race is quickly told: Larry Ellison's elite squad had no chance of attacking the Kiwis again in this third encounter, could only follow on the way to the finish. 28 seconds separated the challenger and the defender at the finish. And the jubilation that was only meant for the New Zealanders.

The interim assessment of America's Cup winner and TV co-commentator Brad Butterworth (New Zealand) after three races: "The Kiwis simply have more power." When commentator Andy Green surmises that "Jimmy must be fuming", Butterworth grins and says: "He wanted this game. Now he's in the middle of it." The observers also settle on the Achilles heel in Oracle Team USA. Butterworth said: "The cross is their biggest weakness." When asked whether the Americans could win a race or even the duel for the America's Cup, Butterworth raised his eyebrows and said: "Yes, they might be able to win a race. But they'll have to improve their tactics. And work on their upwind weakness."

Spithill and his team won the start, rounded the all-important first mark just ahead of the Kiwis and took control. The Americans did make one more mistake, which was penalised with a slight "nosedive", but they never relinquished the lead in this race.

Although there were spectacular tacking duels and breathtaking top speeds of up to 45.97 knots (Oracle Team USA), the "cat-and-mouse game" (in Barker's own words) went in favour of the defenders for the first time, who reached the finish line with an eight-second lead, much to their relief. "I don't think our speed is bad," Spithill had said before this fourth encounter and proved himself right. "I believe we can win. We really want that next point." And they got it. Due to the penalty of two minus points imposed by the jury as a result of illegal boat manipulation in the prelude to the Cup regatta, the defenders are now only -1:3 behind. The Kiwis have won three times, but are four points ahead.

"I think it was good that Team New Zeland lost that point," was Brad Butterworth's interesting thesis at the end of the live broadcast. "Defeats make you stronger. They (ed.: the Kiwis) will come back."