|
Luna Rossa opened the third day of racing with
yet another commanding display to win by one minute, 20 seconds
and take a take a 5-0 lead, before Team UK expertly navigated
their yacht in shifting winds to hit back in the final race.
Team UK skipper Ben Ainslie is aware his team cannot put a foot
wrong when they return on Sunday, with the Italians just two
wins away from advancing to face holders Team New Zealand for
the America's Cup from March 6.
"They're not going to give up, these boys. They're going to keep
fighting all the way," he said. "To get one back, it's what we
needed. In 12-13 knots the boats are pretty even, but below it
we struggle.
"We know it, they know it, but that's the challenge."
Team UK took a narrow advantage at the start of the final race
and moved 32 seconds clear with two legs remaining.
Luna Rossa found some speed on the penultimate upwind leg to
close down to within nine seconds, but Ainslie and his crew
managed to recover some lost time to cross the finish line 14
seconds ahead.
Luna Rossa co-helmsman Jimmy Spithill credited Team UK for their
recovery and said his team remained fully focused on the task
ahead.
"It is very difficult to sail these boats perfectly. There is
never a day when you go out and be 100%," he said.
"We surely have a few things from both races that we will be
reviewing and we will come back tomorrow stronger."
(Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru; Editing by William
Mallard)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
|
