America’s Cup: what Dean Barker’s victory over New Zealand means

ANALYSIS: The practice is done and now, for the main entrance, the America’s Cup unions take a step forward with the world series and the Christmas Cup regatta.

The past week has been a useful shakedown for all four teams, but what can you get out of it by looking at the big picture of the three rivals preparing for their ruthless elimination series in January and February and the team’s ability to New Zealand to defend the Auld Mug in March? ?

Here are some things to keep in mind as the action takes a break on Wednesday with the four-day World Series regatta starting Thursday.

Do we have a new rivalry?

Dean Barker’s American Magic win over the New Zealand team late Tuesday was a real shot in the arm for the event. Just when everyone was assuming the kiwis on their new boat were underway, the New York Yacht Club team did a reality check. Barker edged out Peter Burling, the man who took his place on the New Zealand team after the heartbreaking loss in San Francisco. Jimmy Spithill’s presence at Luna Rossa was always seen as a flash point for the Kiwis due to their harassment by the New Zealand team in the past. The Italians have stepped up procedures with the New Zealand team out of the water and now Barker has shown that it should not be forgotten. It has also given the challenging fleet real hope that they can be competitive, especially with the large block of races they will endure while the New Zealand team trains on their own.

Were the practices relevant?

They certainly gave the race day infrastructure a much needed change for the demands of the boats they are now dealing with. But it’s hard to believe the teams were giving away too much on the driving ranges. The boats were sailing in different configurations at different stages and in the end, after five days, only four “races” were completed. For the record, American Magic won two out of three, Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa won one out of two, and INEOS Team UK lost the only race they managed to contest. A sailor’s superstition says never win the practice race, as these are the most competitive crews in the business.

What is the style of racing?

Purists will be delighted with American Magic’s victory over Team New Zealand. Just when it seemed like sprinting was the norm on boats going beyond 50 knots, the Americans emphasized that old-school skills are still needed. Barker and his tactician Terry Hutchinson said the wind changes seamlessly to stay on top of the kiwis. The starting draw remains a tricky area as the sailors face the same speed against time with the countdown clock. There were many sloppy beginnings. On these high-speed boats, starts are crucial because an advantage can quickly become insurmountable. Look for aggressive tactics on the edges of the field as teams try to push opponents into mistakes – falling off your foils is fatal in this game.

How about the performance in the wind range?

The light winds that hit the last few days showed that these boats are still vulnerable to getting stuck. But Tuesday’s practice was a classic case of contrasts. The first “deadlocks” were replaced by an impulse that came from the ground and it was like a turbo effect. As long as the lower winds are constant, there will be good racing since these boats can produce three or four times the speed of the wind. But head into the medium to high winds on the 6.5-21 knot race scale and these machines are something else.

So what is the pecking order?

The wake-up call against the Americans aside, the New Zealand team still looks like the beaten team based on last week’s two practice sessions in which they showed they had a lot of pace against the wind, aiming more high and were just as slippery downwind. Luna Rossa was the best of the challengers at the beginning and the feeling remains that they have a fairly powerful boat. But the impressive efforts of American Magic on Tuesday have lined them up, with their highly polished maneuvers. British struggles have been well documented with breaks restricting them to just one day alongside their rivals and just one race. Skipper Ben Ainslie was aggressive in the starting area. It was difficult to control their ground speed, although they have real problems in the lower wind range.

What does the store have?

Things change with 16 races scheduled for the World Series and the Christmas Cup Regatta Thursday through Sunday. These are official races as such, although they have little relevance other than establishing a ranking order among the three challengers for their upcoming Prada Cup series. Again, don’t expect teams to reveal their full hands – things only get serious for challengers on January 15 and not until March 6 for Team New Zealand. But the Kiwis will want to put on a show for their local fans and also leave rivals with some doubts about their radical new ship Te Rehutai. Confidence counts for a lot in the Cup, where skill for the game is a key part of the game.