KEY POINTS:
Defenders Alinghi got value out of their tune-up with Team New Zealand but didn't really get a fix on how their possible America's Cup yachting opponents were going, a crew member said today.
In a surprise move, Team NZ had a couple of informal races with Alinghi off Valencia last week before the start of their challengers' final with Italy's Luna Rossa.
Alinghi crewman Jordi Calafat said the exercise was beneficial to the Swiss syndicate.
"The idea is to sail against a different style, especially in a pre-start situation, which is something you don't get in-house," he told the americascup.com website.
"However, you can never really evaluate your rival because you never know if they are sailing with new or old material, or good sails, or are at their full potential."
While the challengers have been battling it out over the past six weeks, Alinghi have had to rely on in-house training to prepare for their defence of the America's Cup beginning later this month.
Observers gave contradictory reports on how the two encounters with Team NZ went, with 1-1 and 2-0 to Alinghi being the options.
At the time, Team NZ tactician Terry Hutchinson said the New Zealand syndicate took part because they wanted to give themselves the best preparation for facing Luna Rossa.
After this weekend's opening races in the best-of-nine Louis Vuitton Cup final, they lead their Italian rivals 2-0.
Team NZ also sparred with Alinghi in mid-April before the start of the LV Cup regatta, a move that caused some controversy.
- NZPA
