Dean Barker has sounded an America's Cup warning after Team New Zealand collided with Britain's Ben Ainslie Racing today.
The Kiwi boat suffered damage to the rear of its hull after the Brits, skippered by Ben Ainslie, ran into the back of Emirates Team New Zealand during a pre-start manoeuvre - an action helmsman Peter Burling described as "unnecessary".
But the Team Japan CEO and skipper said on his website the collision is a signal of just how high the stakes are between the six syndicates battling it out for a shot at Oracle.
He said no syndicates are prepared to give up an inch, even during practice racing.
"Two surprises over the past two days? One has been how aggressive the practice racing has seemed to become evidenced by a pretty decent collision between two of the boats. Two, I think the way the level has continued to rise. You expected a plateau but the game is on to one-up each other right now.
