Weather patterns
The last 10 days have seen 'normal' Valencia conditions. The past week has even seen 15 knots of wind in teh afternoons. This is radically different from RR1 and a bit more muscular than in RR2; some eliminted teams might feel shortchanged... These days off should allow to adjust.
ITA 86 o ITA 94 ?
Four short days to effect some development. Luna Rossa has an additional task as tehy have chosen to develop two different boats - an argment that has been discussed in the past. It means that in case of major failure, you need the ressources and the organisation to remediate matters on two distinct tracks. The learning curve is steeper.
But there is an advantage. Having lost to Oracle twice they can measure both options given the opponent and the wind conditions.
The two-pronged approach will always be subject of query and criticism. However, the LR team has the background to undertake such a challenge, a skill that was not an attribute in the past editions. Experience is one of the most valuable skills at this stage of the competition.
Guessing game?
Looking at the RR results, both TNZ and Oracle went undefeated in their matches against the opponent on schedule. Desafìo also had difficulty in staying near TNZ in its races.
LR however, did manage to stay close to Oracle windward - they've been ahead on occasion. So best is for Spithill to win the pre-starts ! The choice of boats is also a factor. What really needs improvement is leeward - the first race ought to tell us much more about that.
|
| Boat | Act | RR1 | RR2 | Total |
| Team New Zealand | 4 | 14 | 20 | 38 |
| Bmw Oracle | 3 | 18 | 16 | 37 |
| Luna Rossa | 3 | 16 | 16 | 35 |
| Desafío Español | 3 | 14 | 12 | 29 |
|
