Yachting: Gritty win over Luna Rossa boosts Team New Zealand's confidence

Team New Zealand fight back from a 12-second starting deficit to an 11-second win over Luna Rossa yesterday in the final match-racing regatta in Valencia. Picture / Reuters

It's one down, two to go for Team New Zealand in the final match-racing regatta in Valencia before next year's America's Cup.

The Emirates-sponsored syndicate scored a confidence-boosting 11-second win over Luna Rossa yesterday, fighting their way back from a 12-second deficit at the start.

They were expected to notch up two more wins overnight against United Internet Germany and Desafio Espanol, setting up intriguing battles against the other two heavyweights, Alinghi and Oracle, in their final two round-robin matches on Wednesday and Thursday.

Then the 12 teams will be divided into groups of four depending on their placings. Each group will then sail semifinals and a final.

Going into this regatta, Team New Zealand were looking to improve their starts. Until yesterday that had been going well, with skipper Dean Barker showing plenty of aggression against admittedly weaker opponents.

But against Luna Rossa and James Spithill, who is regarded as one of the best starting helmsman in the competition, it all went pear shaped.

It wasn't that Spithill was aggressive, New Zealand just found themselves in an awkward position which required them to turn away then come back seconds before the gun.

Luna Rossa, on the other hand, punched over the line at speed at least two boat lengths ahead of the Kiwis, which in match racing generally means game over.

But NZL84, the boat which some are starting to describe as special, hit its straps and snuck around the Italians at the first mark.

From there the New Zealanders held their composure, gaining slightly in each leg apart from the last one, where Luna Rossa made a small gain.

Barker said that at the start both teams fought very hard for the right and inevitably one team was always going to come off second best.

"They did a better job in this particular race but in general we have been very happy with the way we have been starting," Barker said.

"The pleasing thing for us is the way we got back into the race and led them around the top mark."

Barker was quick to downplay the speed of NZL84, which impressed many with its pace both upwind and downwind.

"I don't think there is a lot in. Between the top teams the boats are very even, there wouldn't seem to be a hell of a lot separating them."

With Oracle, who suffered their first defeat of the regatta to Alinghi yesterday, and the defenders themselves to come Team New Zealand still have two major hurdles to clear before their chances of winning back yachting's greatest prize can be talked up.

But much confidence will be taken from the win over Luna Rossa, a team who three-time cup winner Russell Coutts has predicted will face off against Alinghi.

"Luna Rossa can rely on very good sailors and especially on James Spithill, one of the most talented helmsman of his generation," Coutts told Swiss newspaper La Tribune de Geneve.

"It's a very experienced team which retained the lessons learned during the last cup in New Zealand."

But he did predict his former syndicate Alinghi would successfully defend the cup in exactly a year.

Little separated Alinghi and Chris Dickson's BMW Oracle Racing around the racecourse in yesterday's other heavyweight battle.

The Swiss had a narrow advantage at the start and led Oracle around the first mark by 10 seconds. But by the bottom mark Dickson had edged past and rounded the opposite mark to Alinghi 3s ahead.

Oracle were effective in protecting their advantage on the right but Alinghi soon gained control when they tacked for the mark and led around then down to the finish line, scoring a 20s win.

Oracle pitman New Zealander Jamie Gale admits it is frustrating the Swiss are still winning despite racing their old boat. However, he said Alinghi had continued to make improvements to the boat.

"They have got better keels, better sails, better crew technique and what-have-you. It is frustrating but at the same time you look around and there are teams who are not going that much better than their old boat."

Team New Zealand scored a comfortable 37s win over Areva Challenge in their second match, which sees them alongside Alinghi at the top of the table.