America’s Cup 2021: American Magic and Dean Barker claim victory over Team New Zealand in practice races

Dean Barker hopes his rival INEOS Team UK will remain a force in the upcoming America’s Cup World Series, but it is his American Magic team that scored the most impressive victory in practice races today.

American Magic claimed victory over the troubled British team to start the day and finished it off in style, with a win over the New Zealand team at the end of the day.

After several planned practice races were abandoned due to lack of wind, Barker scored a victory over his old team, his first loss in the warm-up races.

The New Zealand team had previously edged out Luna Rossa on what was a mixed day for the defender, but Barker outscored the Kiwis in the changing winds in the final race of the day to claim a morale-boosting victory for the American team. .

INEOS Team UK also had a mixed start, with the British union struggles as the underlying theme of the warm-up period, and the team did not complete a test run until Tuesday, when they finally faced Barker’s American Magic.

Ben Ainslie’s team did not participate last week and withdrew in the middle of pre-start on Monday against Team New Zealand, due to unspecified hardware problems.

They eventually managed to complete a test run and also won the start against American Magic, with Ainslie perfectly timing her run to the line.

But Britannia ll still looked a bit off the beat and seemed to be struggling to achieve optimal lift and speed at the fins.

At the beginning of the first stage, the British were forced to turn as the Americans picked up speed on the other side of the field.

It was a bit ungainly, and Ainslie’s dribble didn’t come close again as Patriot drifted away, though both teams seemed to be more focused on their own set maneuvers in the second leg.

However, Barker played down any suggestion that INEOS Team UK could have long-term problems.

“We’ve had our own problems too, a lot of little things that you’re trying to get over. I don’t think you can read too much,” Barker told NZME after Tuesday’s opening ceremony. “I’m sure they would have liked to be racing, but we didn’t underestimate any of the boats.

“You see the quality of the guys they have and their design team. I’m sure that when we get to race in January (Prada Cup), they will be strong.”

Rival helmsman Francesco Bruni, who shares the driving duties with Jimmy Spithill at Luna Rossa, echoed Barker’s sentiments about the British union.

“We have been sailing with these boats for two years and you have some weeks that are particularly difficult, you keep breaking things,” Bruni told NZME. “I think it’s just a coincidence that everything has been happening [recently] and they weren’t very lucky. I’m sure they will put it all together and be strong. They’ll be fine “.

Barker, on the eve of his sixth Cup campaign, says it is too early to draw any definitive conclusions, even if there is already a lot of talk about the local union.

“We’ve changed a lot on the boat so we’re getting used to the set-up, but we will get there and hopefully we can be competitive during this week’s races,” said Barker.

“[Team NZ] did a few races against Luna Rossa last week and they seemed to have a pretty good advantage over them in those conditions, but we’ve spent months and months comparing boats in previous campaigns and it’s always hard to read so a day or two doesn’t give an indication. clear.

“There is no question that the New Zealand team looks strong,” added Barker. “They have a good boat and obviously a strong sailing team. [But] we’ll probably have a better feel on the back of the [World Series] on who goes well. “

The World Series begins Thursday with the Christmas Race on Sunday.