KEY POINTS:
Luna Rossa helmsman James Spithill says his team have told him to put the boat wherever he needs to and they will do the rest.
Spithill's dominant performances against BMW Oracle Racing in the pre-start have been the talking point in the early stages of the Louis Vuitton challenger series semifinals in Valencia.
After three races (race four was to be sailed overnight), Luna Rossa have a 2-1 lead over BMW Oracle Racing.
In the other semifinal, Emirates Team New Zealand led Desafio Espanol also by 2-1. The semifinals are a best-of-nine series. Race five is scheduled for tonight.
With his no-holds-barred style, Spithill has won all three starts against the seasoned Chris Dickson.
"I'm feeling pretty comfortable just because I've got confidence in the guys. It feels like we have got a real strong team and the guys are really digging it in on the handles," said Spithill, whose natural ability has brought comparisons to Russell Coutts, the most successful helmsman in the cup's history.
"When you've got that kind of belief, that gives you that extra boost in yourself. The guys have pretty much said to me, 'Put the boat wherever you need to and the sails will be there', and they have delivered."
Luna Rossa took the opening race of the semifinals after they won the start then played the windshifts to perfection.
In race two they led around every mark before being rolled by the powerful American boat on the final downwind run. They bounced back to win race three after nailing the start and the first shift.
Their style has differed throughout the semifinals. In their first two races it appeared they were sailing their own race and paying little attention to the classic match-racing tactic of covering your opponent when you are ahead. In race three they were slightly more conservative.
"Torben [Grael, tactician] and Andy [Horton, strategist] are working really well and the afterguard in general is coming along quite nicely," Spithill said.
In the other semifinal match Desafio Espanol helmsman Karol Jablonski promised to mix it with Team New Zealand's Dean Barker in the pre-start again.
Barker was penalised in the prestart of race three for not keeping clear of his opponent. Team New Zealand went on to select the wrong side of the course, which resulted in a 1m 13s defeat - their first in 13 races.
"Pre-starts are complicated," Jablonksi said. "It is very easy to turn from hero to zero. The key part is to minimalise the risks and get off the line in good shape. It's not all starts and penalties.
"In these boats, making action in the pre-start is difficult as you have to be very focused on time on distance, but we promise some more action."
