Peachy Ahoy: Sir Ben Ainslie bows out, as Burling marches on
Sir Ben Ainslie and Land Rover BAR’s quest to win the 35th America’s Cup came to an early end on Thursday in Bermuda when Peter Burling and Emirates Team New Zealand sealed the British team’s fate by reaching the magic five wins needed against Land Rover BAR to progress to the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Challenger Playoffs Finals.
For Ainslie and his team, they were ultimately beaten by Emirates Team New Zealand twice on Thursday, sealing their fate 5-2 and leaving them heading back to Britain without the America’s Cup they were so determined to take home.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the team. It has been an amazing journey for us,” said Sir Ben Ainslie following Land Rover BAR’s elimination from the America’s Cup.
“Three and a half years ago three of us were sitting around a table in London with nothing more than a few ideas and some support from a few early investors.
“What we’ve achieved now is phenomenal really. We may have bowed out of the competition and ultimately failed to bring the America’s Cup home but we knew it was going to be incredibly tough.
“We gave it our best attempt and certainly, where this team has come from, particularly in the previous few months, is a huge credit to everyone in the team.”
Land Rover BAR: 35th America's Cup - Challenger Highlights
Turning his attention to the future, Sir Ben Ainslie revealed that Land Rover BAR will be back for the next instalment of the America’s Cup after agreeing deals with their major partners.
“To have that commitment already in place is a massive bonus for everyone and to be able to start our preparations for the next campaign already means we will come back that much stronger.
“I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported us back home in the United Kingdom and here in Bermuda. We are a very proud British team and we will be back in the America’s Cup.”
For Burling and his crew, the incredible efforts the team made from Tuesday to Thursday to repair the boat that was so badly damaged in Tuesday’s pitchpole were repaid handsomely, putting themselves into the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Challenger Playoffs Finals as the first team to reach that stage.
“It was an incredible effort from our entire team to get back out on the water today,” said Burling on his team’s incredible recovery from Tuesday’s spectacular capsize.
...@EmiratesTeamNZ heading off into the distance @LandRoverBAR chasing chasing chasing
“To be able to reward everyone by confirming our progression (into the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Challenger Playoffs Finals) today, is fantastic and is exactly what we set out to achieve.
“Our aim when we arrived was to win the America’s Cup and we have definitely taken a big step on the road to winning the America’s Cup.”
Turning his attention to the potential opponent in the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Challenger Playoffs Final, Burling admitted he does not have a preference between Artemis Racing or SoftBank Team Japan.
“We don’t mind who we might face in the Finals (Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Challenger Playoffs Finals),” he added. “It will be a fascinating day tomorrow between Artemis Racing and SoftBank Team Japan and we are looking forward to seeing what the day will bring.”
Heading into the first race of the afternoon (Semi-Finals 1, Race 5) trailing 3-1, Sir Ben Ainslie’s Land Rover BAR knew they had to win at least two of today’s scheduled three races over Peter Burling’s Emirates Team New Zealand to keep their Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Challenger Playoffs Finals hopes alive.
© Ricardo Pinto
Ainslie and his team’s chances looked good in the early stages of their first encounter, as their rivals had a poor pre-start, allowing Land Rover BAR to gain an early 26 second advantage by the first mark.
That lead remained steady through the first four legs until a crucial cross on leg 5/7 between the two teams saw Peter Burling’s team seize the advantage.
There were questions over whether the Emirates Team New Zealand boat would be ready, heading into the race following Tuesday’s spectacular pitchpole incident, but if there were any lasting issues they certainly were not evident as Burling’s team sailed perfectly, registering over 99% of the race up on their foils according to the BMW Flytime measurement.
Having taken the lead, the Kiwis would not relinquish it in the closing stages, flying through the final gate and crossing the line 31 seconds ahead of Land Rover BAR to take a 4-1 lead in their Semi-Finals, immediately ramping up the pressure on Sir Ben Ainslie’s team ahead of their second race of the day.
With the hopes of Great Britain resting on his shoulders, Sir Ben Ainslie was at his combative best in the third race of the day, as Land Rover BAR kept their hopes alive with a must-win 20 second victory over Peter Burling’s Emirates Team New Zealand.
Knowing only a win would keep them in the 35th America’s Cup, at least for one more race, Land Rover BAR showed their intentions right from the start, racing off the start line ahead of Emirates Team New Zealand and seizing the early advantage.
In contrast to their first encounter of the day, Ainslie and his team did not crack under the pressure from Burling, keeping the Kiws at bay throughout the race.
Despite their 4-1 advantage it was Emirates Team New Zealand who looked more like the team under pressure. Small mistakes crept into their race and poor manoeuvres, in particular on the third leg, hampered their chances of another win.
In contrast, the British team remained composed, sailing faultlessly just when it mattered most, finally crossing the line 20 seconds ahead of their rivals, pushing the scoreboard to 4-2.
Having given themselves a glimmer of hope of progressing with their earlier victory, Sir Ben Ainslie and Land Rover BAR’s dream of reaching the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Challenger Playoffs Finals was finally ended with defeat to Peter Burling’s Emirates Team New Zealand in the fifth race of the day.
From the offset, the Kiwis were in a less than charitable mood, in comparison to the second race of the day, and they burst off of the start line, giving themselves an immediate advantage in their efforts to knock out the Brits.
The Emirates Team New Zealand advantage was extended to 13 seconds by the second gate, and extended further to 35 seconds by the fifth gate as the British challenge began to diminish.
© Gilles Martin-Raget
Sir Ben Ainslie refused to concede defeat, but despite Land Rover BAR’s best efforts, elimination looked inevitable as Peter Burling’s team maintained a healthy lead.
Finally, with the British team looking helplessly up the racecourse, Emirates Team New Zealand crossed the finish line, sealing their progression into the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Challenger Playoffs Finals and confirming Land Rover BAR’s elimination from the 35th America’s Cup.
