I think they are just talking about you gets straight through to the final and who has to face AM in the semi.That doesn’t make sense. Rita and LR would both have four wins... but because LR was racing when the rules do not allow Rita to be racing having won four straight races, they loose the Prada Cup! Sherly, there should be one last race between LR and Rita?
Yes but at the moment B and LR could end up on the same points in which case the winner of the last race would win overall and that would be LR. So as it stands B has to win one or both of the remaining races in the round robin to avoid AM. Given that AM was fast before the capsize and will be motivated when they get back on the water I would prefer LR take them on. At least then B will know what it's up against in the final.The winner of the round robins get a by to the prada cup final, see schedule.
If they want to win the AC then they have to beat AM - or LR beat AM and Ineos beat LRYes but at the moment B and LR could end up on the same points in which case the winner of the last race would win overall and that would be LR. So as it stands B has to win one or both of the remaining races in the round robin to avoid AM. Given that AM was fast before the capsize and will be motivated when they get back on the water I would prefer LR take them on. At least then B will know what it's up against in the final.
Those are the rules I'm afraid.That doesn’t make sense. Rita and LR would both have four wins... but because LR was racing when the rules do not allow Rita to be racing having won four straight races, they loose the Prada Cup! Sherly, there should be one last race between LR and Rita?
Right now, setting aside the massive rebuild job AM have to do, I think the teams are in very different places. Both LR and AM have shown flashes of being seriously quick, but they have been found very wanting on tactics and racing. So both LR and AM will expect to improve their race craft with a bit more racing. And both need to.If they want to win the AC then they have to beat AM - or LR beat AM and Ineos beat LR
Given the disruption AM are likely to get better as time progresses so it could be an advantage to face them in the semis - in their first race after the repairs - than in the final.
Hard to see that going straight through to the final is much benefit given the situation.
Terry said that all the electrics are fried, the foil cant system has gone, and there is structural work to do on the boat too. He said that thankfully the hydraulic systems seem ok. He said that they have spares in NZ for pretty much everything they need, and they are going to rip the FCS out of their practice boat. TNZ have offered their builders/laminators etc. to help with the re-build work. They say that they are confident in getting it back on the water in about 10 days.I suppose one major factor will be how much the water ingress affected all of the systems inside the hull and how complicated the wiring layout is.
If they have to rewire the entire boat due to water ingress and reintegrate all of the systems, they could easily use up a fair chunk of the 240 hours they've got.
Right now, setting aside the massive rebuild job AM have to do, I think the teams are in very different places. Both LR and AM have shown flashes of being seriously quick, but they have been found very wanting on tactics and racing. So both LR and AM will expect to improve their race craft with a bit more racing. And both need to.
For INEOS, having extra races to get "match fit" is not much of a benefit as they have already worked out how to sail the boat, their manoeuvres were really very good and their lines of communication a whole level above the others. It is seemingly becoming completely clear that having fewer grinders and a tactician who can just concentrate on that job is very much the winning move. They have the least to learn by going racing.
INEOS will be thinking then that some extra shed time to carry on the work they have been doing since before Christmas to find extra speed is their best route forward from here. If they turn up to the challenger final with a boat that is level with the other, then they will expect to beat them, the Giles and Ben show is that good. If they turn up with a faster boat it will be a whitewash.
Before their capsize AM will have been looking at the most recent racing and thinking "we don't seem slow, especially when the breeze is up, we are just making awful decisions". So now if they can bolt it all back together they will be fairly confident that they can meet LR on reasonably level terms boat wise. It's their decision making, and their choice to have a 52 year old man grinding and calling tactics that look the weakest link in that team. They are now going to have to race on the 29th, and almost certainly with rebuilding the boat they won't have any time to do any upgrades, so they had better hope that whoever out of LR and INEOS they are facing doesn't take a jump forward, as they are going to need to be at least level on pace to stand a chance in the semis I think.
LR are somewhere in between. Manoeuvres have been good, Boat speed has been ok especially in the light and except in the last race where INEOS were significantly faster downwind - that's how they passed them - and tactics have been also ok. In that sense going racing for them allows them to sharpen the tactical decision making but I feel like they will need to bring more speed to the party to get past INEOS. And actually probably the last thing that LR want is INEOS in the shed playing with new bits that the Merc F1 team have sent them whilst they're racing AM.
Which is probably a long way of saying I think both LR and INEOS will be gunning to win the round robin and spend time in the shed...
I suppose one major factor will be how much the water ingress affected all of the systems inside the hull and how complicated the wiring layout is.
If they have to rewire the entire boat due to water ingress and reintegrate all of the systems, they could easily use up a fair chunk of the 240 hours they've got.
Don't agree with that. The racecourse used over the last weekend was puffy and shifty. The boats sail at 4x wind speed, give or take, so the advantages of sailing in 15 knots instead of 13 knots is an 8 knot speed boost.One thing INEOS needs to learn is navigation, we sail to far, LR keep sailing a shorter course, with boats getting more matched that could be a big factor.
Brian
INEOS is sailing fatter angles - so longer distance, but at higher boatspeed.One thing INEOS needs to learn is navigation, we sail to far, LR keep sailing a shorter course, with boats getting more matched that could be a big factor.
Brian
INEOS is sailing fatter angles - so longer distance, but at higher boatspeed.
it could be related to differences in the design of the boat or the sails
their VMG wasn't that much different than LR
In the opening race against AM on the 15th they were pointing higher. Or so the commentator told us. I think the series has been beset by locally variable winds and that might account for both observations.
But that might be wrong also. It seems to me that these boats are super sensitive to fairly small changes in the wind.