Copa América 2021: Luna Rossa reveals key advantage as World Series approaches

Italian Challenger of Record, Luna Rossa, claims to be ahead of the pack in a key area as the America’s Cup World Series looms.

The warm-up race, which will take place between December 17 and 20, will be the first time that the four teams have met before next year’s Copa América.

All teams have launched their second AC75, and Luna Rossa design co-coordinator Martin Fischer acknowledges that it is difficult to know which boat is the best as it has not yet lined up with the other teams.

However, he believes his team has an advantage in the only area that they can currently control.

“The only thing we have seen is the quality of the maneuvers and I would say for the moment that we have an advantage. Our maneuvers are carried out perfectly,” Fischer told the French navigation site Tip & Shaft.

“That is very important, because if you are clear about your maneuvers, you can afford to change course for tactical reasons, while if it is difficult, you avoid it as much as possible.

“The ACWS will be very important as will the few days of training before the event. I think everyone will do their best to find out where they are, because if you have a deficit somewhere, you should know as soon as possible to try to correct that sooner. of the Prada Cup “.

Moving on to discuss the technical rationale behind the teams’ different sheet designs, Fischer said they would play an important role in the ship’s maneuverability.

Teams have held onto their final foil and rudder choices, with each allowing six sets of foils and four sets of rudders.

“The size of the sheets is mainly determined by the speed at which you want to peel off. If you want to peel off at a very low speed, you need a larger sheet, but once you have peeled off this means a wetter surface then that is negative, but you do have a greater margin of safety when performing maneuvers, “he said.

“With a small sheet, your wetted surface is reduced, but if you fail during a maneuver, another takeoff is likely to start, which can cost you dearly.

The New Zealand team received clearance to compete in the next race after a late entry fee put them in doubt.

It was understood that the New Zealand team and the Challenger of Record disagreed on the format of the events, but agreed that the first three days of the World Series will see four races per day of head-to-head competition when all four teams compete. each other twice.

The fourth day (Christmas Cup race) will be comprised of two knockout stages, the first consisting of two head-to-head matches, with the winners of each advancing to the final and the losers to a third / fourth match that will help decide the final rankings. The pairing for the semifinals of the Christmas race will be decided based on the results of the World Series double round-robin.

The Prada Cup, contested between the three challengers, begins on January 15 and the winner advances to the America’s Cup match, and the opportunity to dethrone the New Zealand team from March 6.