Team NZ bury their Cup ghost

By JULIE ASH in Valencia

Emirates Team New Zealand have taken another step towards burying last year's America's Cup humiliation by Alinghi.

In fairytale style Grant Dalton's team finished second in the third America's Cup pre-regatta in Valencia yesterday which, combined with their third placing in the opening regatta in Marseille and the win in the second pre-regatta in Valencia, was enough to give them the 2004 America's Cup Class championship.

"Thirteen wins out of 17 races [in Valencia] ... the campaign only started in June this year when it was announced," said a beaming Dalton, who was drenched in champagne by his team during the prizegiving.

"I can only be happy with that. I think we have done a lot better than we expected."

Although it is still some way out from the 2007 America's Cup proper, Team New Zealand will take plenty of confidence and satisfaction from their performance in Valencia.

It will also go some way towards silencing their critics, who believed yachting's greatest prize could never return to Auckland because Team New Zealand couldn't foot it with the big-budget campaigns of Alinghi and Oracle.

"The danger for us, having been almost too successful too quickly, is we do a good All Black trick - lose the World Cup then have a couple of good years and then fall off the cliff again," Dalton said.

"So I think it is really important not to just follow the yellow brick road and get intoxicated with doing well.

"We might get hammered next year and that might be because we are trying things. I suggest there will be alterations within the team.

"I think any good business executive would tell you after this you have to go back and make some changes and just keep the whole thing rolling, and I think I'll do that."

Team New Zealand's race boats, NZL81 and NZL82, have showed they can be competitive, which is not entirely unexpected as it was always assumed they were okay. They just needed a lot more time on water.

However, it is still unknown whether the revolutionary hull appendage, the hula, actually works.

"We are so different from everyone else, the hula may work, it may not. I haven't got a clue," Dalton said.

As for the major opposition, defenders Alinghi ended the regatta on a positive note, winning the final cup pre-regatta.

Although morale in the team is obviously low following the sacking of helmsman New Zealander Russell Coutts, the win proves Alinghi are still a force.

Following their win in the opening regatta in Marseille, Chris Dickson's Oracle BMW Racing had a fairly average showing in Valencia.

However, they have been one of the busiest teams since the last cup, having competed against Alinghi in two regattas and fitted in several months of training.

"I thought that in Marseille, Oracle were a serious cut above everyone else," Dalton said.

"In some way I guess that pleases me that they are beatable. I think they are a hugely strong package still and so is Alinghi, and Prada did really well in the match-racing regatta.

"Prada was never really on my radar and suddenly before the regatta I went 'geeze, these guys are going to be good'."

The pre-regattas, which are new to the America's Cup, allow teams to check on each other's progress, and as a direct result the performances of most teams improved as the regattas went on.

"It will get the teams closer by virtue of the fact they can learn off each other. We have certainly done that," Dalton said

Team New Zealand will regroup in Auckland in early December.

Team NZ win

MARSEILLE

Third in first pre-regatta

VALENCIA

First in second pre-regatta

Second in third pre-regatta

First overall

* Julie Ash was assisted to Valencia by Emirates Airline.