ORACLE TEAM USA opened Super Sunday with a second place finish and followed it up with two race victories to close within just one point of the winning home team.
But that was as close as Jimmy Spithill and crew could get.
“It was a good Sunday, we won the day, but it just wasn’t enough,” Spithill said.
“It came down to consistency. On Saturday BAR had a fifth and we had a sixth and that’s the one point that would have made the difference.”
The final result means ORACLE TEAM USA leaves Portsmouth just one point back on the overall series leaderboard. Ben Ainslie’s team finished just behind ORACLE TEAM USA in last two races on Sunday. Spithill and co. needed one boat in between them to create a winning margin.
“It was great racing. The guys did a good job of fighting all the way through to the end. In the last two races today, we hit Ben every time we could, but we just couldn’t push him back far enough to let a third boat through.”
“The guys should hold their heads up. We sailed very, very well today. We have to take our hats off to Ben and congratulate his team.”
The Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series in Portsmouth was a successful event, with the full race schedule completed, large and boisterous crowds cheering on a hometown hero, and some great racing conditions. An appearance by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge was a highlight moment.
“That was awesome. I think it’s one of the best Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series events. We had huge crowds and today was as good as it gets in terms of race conditions. And last but not least, this is probably the only time I’ve been to the UK and it hasn’t rained!!
“We had a fantastic time and it was really great to see all the fans, especially the young kids, coming out and supporting all of the teams.”
