“Beating you Kiwis on home water, it doesn’t get tougher that that.” - Sir Ben Ainslie. Video / INEOS Team UK / Ben Ainslie
INEOS Team UK has hit back after their new America's Cup boat was slammed in a brutal blog post by a British pundit.
The boat is currently being worked on after damaging its mast and missing the first two days of practice racing ahead of next week's World Series and Christmas Cup regattas.
The Herald understands INEOS Team UK's main concerns centres around a "small hydraulics problem".
In a statement to the Herald, the British syndicate said: "We are working through our development schedule and look forward to being out on the racetrack on Monday."
The revelations come after British blogger Magnus Wheatley expressed his disappointment that the boat appeared "at least two clicks slower around a racecourse", before launching an attack on the syndicate.
He claimed he had been hearing a "discord in the team with morale at rock bottom".
"Well, imagine how you'd feel if you'd just blown £120 million of someone else's money and have an absolutely balls-out racing machine laden with some of the best sailors on the planet, a supercomputer or two to measure a billion points of data a day and you're still way off the pace," Wheatley wrote.
INEOS Team UK. Photo / Photosport
"The first time you take it to a racecourse, it breaks. You then scuttle back to base, close the doors and silently weep.
"The management are all at each other's throats and the billionaire owner is breathing, heavily, down your neck … it's depressing.
"Well that's what's happening in New Zealand right now with Ratty's Rita (Ainslie's boat) looking like the lamest of lame ducks and the rest of the fleet and commentators dumbfounded as to where it has all gone wrong."
INEOS Team UK prepare for a testing. Photo / Photosport
Wheatley anticipated the upcoming regattas could be "horrible" days for the team.
"Two races against Team New Zealand – the All Blacks of yachting – who will take no prisoners ... They are a ruthless killing machine as evidenced yesterday in their cruise to victory over Team Prada.
"To get anywhere close to their level will be nigh on impossible not just for Team Ineos but for the rest of the challengers."
However, sources close to the syndicate rubbished claims the boat was a "lame duck", saying reports suggesting it was broken and off the pace were "full of inaccuracies".
INEOS Team UK CEO Grant Simmer takes notes during an organised practice. Photo / Photosport
Meanwhile, Team UK remained off the water yesterday along with the other Challengers as Team NZ practiced on their own.
A Luna Rossa spokesperson confirmed to the Herald that they didn't race following the "long session" on Thursday.
"The guys are all super tired after we had a really long session yesterday."
The spokesperson denied the challenger had any issues with their boat, after TNZ had the edge on Jimmy Spithill and Luna Rossa in the first skirmish on Thursday - holding a lead of more than 30 seconds after two legs when the trial ended.
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