Game on, America’s Cup is starting tomorrow

Auckland, New Zealand – 3/9/2021 – Three months after the first official race for the new AC75 class, the 36th America’s Cup presented by PRADA looks set to lay a marker down in history, with the first race of the Match starting tomorrow, March 10th at 4:15 pm NZT.

Emirates Team New Zealand Skipper Peter Burling and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Skipper and Team Director Max Sirena fronted today the opening press conference, ahead of tomorrow’s start to the best of 13 race series.

Fast, extreme boats capable of previously unimaginable speeds have been the obvious focus of attention. Yet, at the same time, the racing itself has seen a return to a more traditional style with upwind starts and windward/leeward courses. It’s not just commentators and spectators that have been impressed and surprised by the latest Cup evolution, crews are equally taken aback.

Peter Burling, Sailor, Emirates Team New Zealand, on the left, Max Sirena, Team Director, and Skipper, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team, on the right, America’s Cup Trophy, in the center.

“These boats were only a concept three years ago, and now they are exceeding everyone’s expectations of what they can do, and how fast they can go around a race track. The boats’ speed is a mystery for us like for everyone else. At the end of the day, if you talk to anybody in yacht racing, they say if you are not fast enough, you are not in the race. We have done everything to get the fastest boat possible; we pushed very hard on the hydrodynamic low drag, but the Italians have put together a very good package as well and it makes even more exciting,” said Peter Burling during the pre-race press conference.

Neither side was giving much away though. Max Sirena, since his first America’s Cup in 2000, when boat speeds only just broke into double figures, has seen huge changes at first hand.

Max Sirena, Team Director, and Skipper, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team, on the right, Peter Burling, Sailor, Emirates Team New Zealand, on the left, America’s Cup Trophy, in the center.

“The boats [are] definitely raising the bar and this Cup cycle has been a quantum leap. Yet, it has happened with a return to the old school style of racing, which makes it even more exciting. Still, I think it’s too hard to judge a boat’s performance just watching it sailing. We know the Kiwis are fast because we raced them two months ago and we saw them during practices against the Americans and the British a few weeks ago, but I’ll let you know tomorrow afternoon if this Final will be close or not. What I can tell is that we are aware this a lifetime opportunity we will try everything to win,” said Max Sirena.

For all the knowledge that has been gained and the intense training that has taken place to build the teams’ individual playbooks, the reality is that despite the changes and the new pace of the game, the first race of the 36th America’s Cup will reflect all the previous Cup Matches over the last 170 years. As both boats line up for the start, neither will truly know how the opening race will unfold. The weather forecast for tomorrow is a North-westerly breeze between 12 and 17 knots.

That’s it, game on, time to race tomorrow, 4:15pm.

Cover photo: Peter Burling, Sailor – Emirates Team New Zealand, on the left, Max Sirena, Team Director, and Skipper, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team, on the right, America’s Cup Trophy, in the center. Photo courtesy of 36th America’s Cup