Review of Louis Vuitton Act Season 2006

Among the big themes of the 2006 season is that of renewal; A new Port America's Cup, new boats for many of the teams and new challenges for nearly all of them. The revitalised Port America's Cup is one of the success stories of the season. With a new marina, a successful public America's Cup Park, anchored by the Veles e Vents building, the Port was an enormous success. Nearly 500 000 people passed through the entrances this year, bringing the total of on-site visitors to the Louis Vuitton Acts up to over 1.5 million from 2004 to 2006.

Emirates Team New Zealand leading on all counts
Emirates Team New Zealand heads into the ‘off season' leading on all counts at the 32nd America's Cup. The Kiwis won a ‘winner take all' race over Alinghi on Sunday to claim Valencia Louis Vuitton Act 12, which in turn put the team on top of the 2006 Louis Vuitton ACC Championship. Also, the ranking points the team earned in Act 12 allowed it to stretch out a lead over BMW Oracle Racing on the challengers-only Louis Vuitton Ranking. With a new boat and renewed confidence, the Kiwis were a powerful force in 2006 and especially in Valencia Louis Vuitton Act 12. The highlight match was a win over BMW Oracle Racing in the semi-final in a match that many are calling an America's Cup classic. The team went on to beat the Cup defender, Alinghi, 2-1 in the final.

The Defender: Alinghi
It's doubtful that the Swiss defender is too worried by its loss to Emirates Team New Zealand in the Act 12 final. The team pushed the Kiwis hard and very nearly won, despite having a four-year old boat. It has used SUI 75 to beat each of the top challengers in their new boats at some point over the season, including a 2-0 record over USA 87, a 2-2 record against Luna Rossa and 1-4 record against Emirates Team New Zealand. That means the Swiss have had the opportunity to see the new ideas of all the top teams, without revealing too many of their own. In fact, the team feels SUI 75 is nearly competitive enough to still do the job.

BMW Oracle Racing
The American challenger finished the 2006 season with a bang - the team collided with Luna Rossa in the first race of the petit final and with both boats too damaged to continue the series, BMW Oracle Racing was awarded the point it needed to claim third place in Valencia Louis Vuitton Act 12 by the Jury. Before that, the team had sailed well, losing an incredible semi-final match up against Emirates Team New Zealand. All three matches were good, but one was a classic, with every match racing tactic in the book employed by both teams in an effort to get a lead. The Kiwis eventually won, but more importantly, it was the type of ‘battle-hardening' race the challengers will be hoping to replicate in the Louis Vuitton Cup next year in an effort to create a challenger capable of beating Alinghi.

Luna Rossa Challenge
The Italians came into Louis Vuitton Act 12 leading the season championship table for the first time in the 32nd America's Cup. They ended the Act on a disappointing note, fourth on the table and disqualified by the Jury for a collision with BMW Oracle. More importantly, their new boat, ITA 86, suffered what the team called ‘structural damage' in the collision. It is expected to take at least a week to repair.

Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team
2006 has been a breakout season of sorts for the ‘Latin Rascals'. The team finished the season in fifth place, its highest ranking position to date, and did so sailing its old boat. It's a good time for this Italian team. The plan now is to work up the boat, ITA 90, against the one the team sailed in Valencia Louis Vuitton Act 12, ITA 77. The new boat has been going through some ‘teething' problems, but Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team says the boat will be fine and will be sailing soon.

Desafío Español 2007
The home team had a good, if unspectacular, season. The Spanish see themselves as among the top four challengers, but finished the season as the fifth challenger behind Mascalzone. On the positive side of the ledger, the team sailed its new boat ESP 88 in Louis Vuitton Act 12 and appeared to be getting more from it with each day of racing. Desafío Español beat one of the big four for the first time this year, but must stop losing the occasional race to the smaller teams if it hopes to become a top challenger.

Team Shosholoza
The South Africans have literally vaulted up the standings in the past 12 months; a meteoric rise highlighted by the team finishing sixth in Louis Vuitton Act 11. The team is seventh on the season table, a spectacular result for a squad that didn't win a race one year ago in Valencia. Shosholoza now expects to beat teams, and is able to hold close to the top crews when they race.

Victory Challenge
With a new sponsor on board, things are looking positive for Sweden's Victory Challenge who had a solid, if unremarkable season. The Swedes finish the season in eighth place and have slipped behind Shosholoza and Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team compared to last season. But in other ways, the team has moved forward. Apart from the new sponsor, the team is looking forward to its new boat, currently under construction in Gothenberg, and will resume an ambitious testing programme in Valencia later this summer.

Areva Challenge
The French challenger, having found its new sponsor in Areva earlier this spring is now focusing on its new boat, due to arrive in Valencia by the end of the year. The French team hit a high note in Trapani last year, but has since bumped up against the limit of what it can do in its 2000-generation boat. The team finished in ninth place in Valencia Louis Vuitton Act 12, but shares seventh place on the important Louis Vuitton Ranking for challengers with +39.

+39 Challenge
The third Italian challenger also bumped up against the limits of what can be achieved with the oldest boat in the fleet. Iain Percy and his men fought hard during the 2006 season, but were consistently outgunned. Regardless, the team has come a long way from Louis Vuitton Act 1 in Marseille, when every pre-start seemed to be an adventure for the team. The sailing squad is talented, loaded with Olympic medals, and with the new ITA 85 freshly delivered to the base in Valencia, there is every hope that team could push up the challenger ladder in 2007.

United Internet Team Germany
2006 was a frustrating year for skipper Jesper Bank who couldn't compete as much as he would have liked with the middle group of challengers. After a strong opening regatta in Valencia last season, the Germans have beaten only China Team and Shosholoza in 2006, and seemed overmatched in many races this year. Like the other bottom dwellers on the ranking table, UITG is restricted by its boatspeed and needs to be perfect around the course to hold close to the other teams. The Germans have a new boat, GER 89, waiting to be worked up and the team announced this month that it will not build a second new boat, instead putting all of its time, attention and resources into 89…a smart move for a first time challenger.

China Team
The Chinese failed to win a race in 2006, but that hasn't got the team down, this is a squad with a long term view of the Cup, which is realistic about its chances. The team is integrating more and more Chinese sailors into the sailing squad with each Louis Vuitton Act and has sailed with as many as eight during Valencia Louis Vuitton Act 12. This is an enormous achievement considering the cultural and language barriers the team faces. The team is building its new boat in China now.

Source: americascup.com

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