Yachting: Oracle win good news for LV Cup

Take a good look at the Louis Vuitton regatta when it begins on March 9 - you may be watching a slice of the America's Cup... you know, the real stuff, involving yachts and racing, not courtrooms and lawyers.

The concept behind the Louis Vuitton Trophy looked ever more clever when BMW Oracle - one of the prime movers, along with Emirates Team NZ, in the series - took the Cup off former holders Alinghi earlier this month.

The Louis Vuitton Trophy stemmed from the inaugural Louis Vuitton Pacific Series held in Auckland early last year - arranged to give becalmed America's Cup syndicates racing and, more importantly, a reason for being with the Cup locked in that bitter legal battle between BMW Oracle and Alinghi.

The Pacific Series became a world series when a global circuit kicked off in Nice last year - when Italian syndicate Azzurra surprisingly beat Team NZ in the final. Auckland is the next venue - from March 9-21 - followed by La Maddelena in Sardinia in May, Dubai and then Hong Kong.

Now, with Oracle deciding on next steps for the Cup regatta, it will be even more important for teams to race and test themselves even though the next Cup is likely to be decided only in 2013.

It will be important too as, in the near future, it could be that the Louis Vuitton Trophy morphs into an America's Cup event again.

The key is the Acts - the pre-event regattas held under Alinghi and which were not only successful but which eventually provided points which counted in the Cup regatta. The Louis Vuitton Trophy is perfectly placed to act as the Acts and/or to regain its place as the host of the challengers' regatta and the provider of the Louis Vuitton Cup for the winner, as it did for many years until falling out with Alinghi.

Louis Vuitton spokesman Bruno Troublé said: "The Louis Vuitton Trophy could become the Louis Vuitton Cup but it depends on a lot of things - budget, where it is, when it is. "I believe the Americans will respect the America's Cup traditions," said Troublé. "We did not have that confidence under the Swiss but this [Oracle's win and the health of the Trophy] is good news for the future of the event." -