INEOS Team UK — led by Sir Ben Ainslie and including fellow Island sailor, Leigh McMillan — will be making their bid for America’s Cup glory when they take on their Italian rivals in the Prada Cup final, starting Saturday.
If the British entry can beat Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli in the best-of-13 race final, they will advance to next month’s 36th America’s Cup — a battle royale against defending champions, Emirates Team New Zealand.
“Whilst we’ve got ourselves into the Prada Cup final, it’s just one step on the road,” said Sir Ben, the British team’s helmsman.
Leigh, alongside him, is one of two flight controllers, whose role is to monitor and control the foils — maintaining the height above the water and reducing drag.
Although the multi-Olympic gold winner is loathed to get too far ahead himself, Sir Ben said he was very proud of the team’s remarkable comeback, following their disastrous World Series in December.
“We are under no illusions, however, just how much of a mountain we still have to climb. We have not won anything yet,” he adds cautiously.
History is very much against the British team, which aims to break a 170-year drought in the America’s Cup.
For Ineos, winning the Prada Cup will make it the first time, since the 1983 America’s Cup, a British team has reached the challenger final — where Victory ‘83 was beaten by Australia II, in what was then known as the Louis Vuitton Cup.
One positive for Sir Ben’s British syndicate, as they go into the Prada Cup final, is their good recent form against Luna Rossa, having beaten them in their final round-robin match.
“That was a great moment for the team because we’d had a tough build up to this competition,” said Sir Ben.
“We were all very proud of how the team turned things round from a frustrating situation before Christmas.
“It was a real team effort and a great reward to win the round-robin series — to get that direct route into the final.
“We now have to focus on continuously improving our performance.
“Our goal in Auckland is to win the America’s Cup. That means beating the Italians over the next two weeks.
“They have been in this game for over 20 years, have been performing well across a range of conditions and do not seem to have a weak spot.
“They will be very tough to beat and we will need to sail incredibly well to beat them.
“We had a tough start to this competition and the team had to dig deep to turns things around.
“The momentum that comes with that is vital. We have made sure to keep that intensity going over the past three weeks.
“We have worked around the clock to make the developments we needed to find more boat speed — particularly in the lighter airs, where we know the Italians are strongest.
“Time will tell whether we have done enough. We are all looking forward to the challenge ahead.”
The winner-takes-all contest, which runs until February 22, has been given added spice.
Following a complaint made by Luna Rossa over non-compliance against a sail system used in the Prada Cup’s first round, the British have a yellow card hanging over them.
So, should they make a second infringement, Ineos would forfeit a race — one they can ill afford to lose against opposition who beat early Prada favourites, the United States.
“That’s the game. We’ll go into the Prada Cup final with our eyes wide open as to some of the tactics,” Sir Ben added.
Multi-millionaire entrepreneur and former America’s Cup sailor, Peter de Savary, is one high profile personality backing Sir Ben’s bid to go all the way and beat New Zealand for the ‘Auld Mug’ next month.
He said the way they bounced back after the World Series convinced him Ineos could make history.
Coverage on Sky Sports of the first of the opening two races in Auckland on Saturday starts at 3am and 8am, with the third and fourth at the same times on Sunday.
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