And so it begins: the first Semi Final race of the 2024 Louis Vuitton Cup. First up today is Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli who have been grouped to face this best-of 5 series with American Magic. This looked like it would be an exciting challenge – given the existing statistics this race should have been slanted towards the Italian team, but as we always say, this is the America’s Cup: Nothing is Predictable!
American Magic played their 15-minute delay card – the US team had an issue with one of their cyclor positions, they identified that one of the positions was not pumping oil in their hydraulic system.
There is one 15-minute delay card for each team over the whole Semi-Final series — so this was a big call for the American boat, but the right one.
Once the technical issue was resolved, both boats were off the starting line at the same time, and the race began in earnest. American Magic took an early lead, pulling ahead by 80 metres in the first leg. By halfway, their lead had extended to 150 metres, with both boats reaching speeds of around 29 knots. The Americans continued to build on their advantage, stretching the gap to 200 metres, only for Luna Rossa to respond with a burst of speed, narrowing the distance. However, the Americans rounded the first gate at 4:28, with the Italians just 3 seconds behind.
The second leg saw Luna Rossa make significant gains, closing the gap to just 40 metres. However, a smart tactical move by American Magic saw them find a favourable patch of wind, extending their lead to 150 metres halfway through the leg. By the second gate, the Americans had pulled ahead even further, with a 20-second advantage over their Italian rivals.
Despite American Magic’s dominance in the early stages, Luna Rossa demonstrated absolute determination. As the boats approached the third leg, Italy closed the gap once again to 150 metres. But the race took a dramatic turn when American Magic suffered a trivial nose-dive shaving 10 knots off their speed after passing through Gate 3, allowing Luna Rossa to close in even more, now only 120 metres behind.
By halfway through the fourth leg, the gap had narrowed to just 30 metres. The two boats were now in an intense battle, with Luna Rossa momentarily taking the lead. As they passed through the fourth gate, Luna Rossa was just 4 seconds behind the Americans but had already positioned themselves strategically to take control of the race.
In the final leg, Luna Rossa surged ahead, leading by 100 metres and steadily increasing their advantage. The Italians rounded the final gate at 19:09, 22 seconds ahead of American Magic, and secured the win with a finishing time of 22:12. The Americans followed closely, finishing just 7 seconds behind.
This thrilling race was amazing! While on paper Luna Rossa should have had it without trying, American Magic came into the race looking like a new team. While American Magic showed great promise in the early stages, Luna Rossa’s tactical brilliance ultimately saw them claim victory.
The result sets the stage for an exciting next race, with the Americans now knowing that they have the speed to put pressure on Luna Rossa, knowing they have the possibility of a win.
