This Monday, June 26, 2017, was the 9 e and last race of the America's Cup. And as expected, it's the Kiwis who are winning this 34 e America's Cup, Bermuda. Emirates Team Zealand, led by skipper Peter Burling, won eight of the nine races in the Cup final and beat Oracle Team USA 7-1.
It's the 3 e time New Zealanders have won the famous silver ewer since the Cup was established in 1851. They had already won the trophy in 1995 and 2000 and came close to winning it against Oracle Team USA in the 34th America's Cup e edition, in 2013. Indeed, the kiwis had led their opponents 8-1 throughout the final, before losing on the last day to Oracle, who came back 9-8. With this victory, Peter Burling, the kiwi skipper became the youngest skipper in the history of the race - at the age of 26 - to win the oldest sporting trophy.
In the last race, both teams got off to a perfect start and the Americans were leading at the first mark, before losing ground to their rivals at the second mark e mark. At the 3 e oracle Team USA was 26 seconds behind the Kiwis and up to 34 seconds behind at the 4th round e mark. The Americans managed to catch up slightly, but the New Zealanders crossed the finish line in the 35 e America's Cup 55 seconds before the Defender, definitively sealing the fate of Oracle Team USA. Oracle Team USA had won the last two editions of the America's Cup in 2010 and 2013.
Despite a much lower budget than the Americans, the New Zealanders have been able to create an innovative boat and exploit the potential of the innovations introduced, such as cranksets for grinders.
What future for the America's Cup?
With this unequivocal victory, the Kiwis become the next America's Cup Defender, and therefore the next organisers. However, this victory may turn the organisation of the Cup upside down, since the New Zealanders are the only ones who have not signed the charter proposed by the Americans.
Thus, the Cup could change location (certainly Auckland), but also support. Indeed, Emirates Team New Zealand has never made any secret of its desire to return to the monohull. A hard blow for the French, Japanese and Swedes, who had rallied around the American proposal to return to Bermuda for the 36th America's Cup e editing and navigating AC50s..
Because if the rules were to change, it would make a big difference for teams with smaller budgets, who would have to rebuild a new boat, generate new travel and installation costs, etc., and thus exceed their budget by around 30 million euros
