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Energy Team led by Loïck Peyron showcased its form, winning on the final day of Venice America’s Cup World Series racing. Showing an amazing command of the Grand Canal race area, Peyron and his French crew have remained on the top of the leaderboard all four days this week.

America's Cup World Series Venice 2012 - Final Race Day © ACEA 2012/ Photo Gilles Martin-Raget

“I think the lighter conditions were good for us,” Peyron, the veteran multihull sailor, said. “I’m used to this kind of tricky game, trying to be as cool as possible. The pressure was in the red zone, but it made for an exciting race for sure. This was a big victory for us. We are a small team, and hopefully this is just the beginning.”

Winds were exceptionally light on Sunday, turning the San Marco race course into perhaps the most challenging one the teams have faced in the World Series to date. The smallest puffs of wind were rewarded with dramatic bursts of speed, leading to teams quickly moving up and down the race leaderboard on the first lap of the course, the positions changing from minute to minute.

Early in the race, on the first long downwind leg, Peyron proved to be the best at finding a clear lane and escaped clear ahead of the fleet, with ORACLE TEAM USA Spithill following suit a few moments later.

While the French built what seemed to be an insurmountable lead, Spithill kept the pressure on, closing the gap right down to the point where the result wasn’t secure until the final gybe on the finishing line. As the horn sounded to signal victory, Peyron collapsed on the trampoline of his boat in dramatic relief, while his crew celebrated around him.

In contrast to the leaders, the bulk of the fleet had trouble separating themselves and at one point became trapped in a very slow pile-up at one of the turning marks, with too many boats trying to squeeze between the mark and the nearby shoreline at the same time.

Energy Team celebrating their victory © ACEA 2012/ Photo Gilles Martin-Raget

Terry Hutchinson’s Artemis Racing popped out of that incident in third place, with Emirates Team New Zealand chasing them around the race course – even closing enough to incur a penalty for a slow motion collision – before Artemis regained the advantage to lead the Kiwis across the line.

Meanwhile the rest of the fleet was too far back to finish within the time limit and were scored as ‘did not finish’, earning no points on the day.

Earlier in the afternoon, and for the second consecutive event, Artemis Racing defeated Chris Draper’s Luna Rossa-Piranha to win the Match Racing Championship. In the light, shifty, and tricky conditions, Hutchinson and his crew won the start and protected a narrow lead early before stretching away in the middle of the race for a hard-earned victory.

“We’ve had a good result in Naples and now here, in quite different conditions,” Hutchinson said. “The nice thing about the match racing at these regattas is we’ve executed on our game plan. We’re starting to feel with the training in the boat that it’s paying off for us.”

The results in Venice see ORACLE TEAM USA Spithill gain some breathing room on the overall AC World Series leaderboard over Emirates Team New Zealand. The Kiwis will also now be looking over their shoulders, with Artemis Racing closing in as well, nine points further back.

“We came here with a one-point lead over Emirates Team New Zealand. We’re leaving with a four-point lead,” said Spithill as he looked ahead to Newport. “That’s the important thing. I’m happy with how the team did. Obviously we’ve got a lot to work on but there’s no question we’ll be ready for Newport.”

The final event of the 2011-12 AC World Series will take place next month in Newport, Rhode Island from June 26 through July 1, 2012. At the conclusion of racing in Newport, the 2011-12 AC World Series champion will be crowned.

2011-12 AC World Series Overall Championship Leaderboard (after five of six events)
1.    ORACLE TEAM USA Spithill…84 points
2.    Emirates Team New Zealand…80 points
3.    Artemis Racing…71 points
4.    Energy Team…65 points
5.    Team Korea…56 points
6.    ORACLE TEAM USA Bundock…53 points
7.    Luna Rossa Piranha…34 points
8.    China Team…31 points
9.    Luna Rossa Swordfish…21 points

AC World Series Venice Fleet Racing Championship – Final Leaderboard
1.    Energy Team…74 points
2.    ORACLE TEAM USA Spithill…58 points
3.    Emirates Team New Zealand…54 points
4.    Artemis Racing…52 points
5.    Luna Rossa Piranha…43 points
6.    Luna Rossa Swordfish…43 points
7.    Team Korea…37 points
8.    ORACLE TEAM USA Bundock…22 points
9.    China Team…18 points

AC World Series Venice Match Racing Championship
Final Match: Artemis Racing defeated Luna Rossa – Piranha; 1-0
1.    Artemis Racing
2.    Luna Rossa Piranha
3.    ORACLE TEAM USA Spithill
4.    Energy Team
5.    Emirates Team New Zealand
6.    Team Korea
7.    Luna Rossa Swordfish
8.    ORACLE TEAM USA Bundock
9.    China Team
*The losers of the Semi Final and Quarter Final matches have been assigned final finishing positions (3rd through 9th) in the Match Racing Championship as per the Sailing Instructions.

The spectators of the Venice AC World Series enjoyed very close, tight, as well as tactically difficult competing on Saturday afternoon. Cheering on the AC45 sailors from the Gran Canal, the Venetian crowds lined the waterfront.

America's Cup World Series Venice 2012 - Racing Day 3 © ACEA 2012/ Photo Gilles Martin-Raget

Winds were light, but the race course was very short and demanding on the teams. Luna Rossa Swordfish pleased the local crowds by winning the first fleet race and momentarily grabbing the overall lead in the regatta. But the early heroes fell to the back of the fleet in race two, allowing Loick Peyron’s Energy Team to retain overall leadership heading into Sunday’s final race.

Artemis Racing had a very strong showing on Saturday, with skipper Terry Hutchinson grinding out a fifth place finish in the first contest before winning the second.

“It was hard work,” a relieved Hutchinson said following the race. “The guys on board today have done really good work. It was a tough night’s sleep last night because I knew I’d let us down yesterday, so it’s nice to get it right today. It was an absolute fight the entire time, but the guys did their work really well.”

Phil Robertson, at 25 the youngest skipper in the fleet, had a good day for China Team, with fourth and eighth place finishes. It was the first time in the event China Team was able to hold a good early position through to the race finish. And the day could have been better as Robertson and crew were in second place early in the second contest, before falling back to eighth.

Venice Ac World Series Day 3 © ACEA 2012/ Photo Gilles Martin-Raget

Later in the afternoon, Artemis Racing and Luna Rossa – Piranha advanced to the Final of the Match Racing Championship. Both teams are now in position to ‘win the double’ if they can capture both the Fleet and Match Racing Championships on Sunday.

The AC500 Speed Trials are scheduled for 1350 CEST. Racing starts at 1440 CEST on Sunday with the Match Racing Final – a one race duel for the title, followed by the seventh and final fleet race (1510 CEST), where the winner earns a whopping 30 points, enough for anyone in the top seven in the standings to have a chance of winning the title.

“The way the points work in the fleet racing it’s all about tomorrow,” confirmed Team Korea’s Nathan Outteridge, currently in seventh place, but still with a chance winning overall on Sunday. “We’ve learned a lot this week and it’s all about going high risk tomorrow. I think everyone will have the same attitude. We haven’t been dialing up the risk enough yet. You dial it up, and you’re either going to get it right or wrong… that’s what we’ve got to do tomorrow.”

Fleet Racing Championship – Provisional Leaderboard (after six races)
1.    Energy Team…44 points
2.    Luna Rossa Piranha…43 points
3.    Luna Rossa Swordfish…43 points
4.    Emirates Team New Zealand…42 points
5.    ORACLE TEAM USA Spithill…38 points
6.    Artemis Racing…37 points
7.    Team Korea…37 points
8.    ORACLE TEAM USA Bundock…22 points
9.    China Team…18 points

Match Racing Championship – Semi Final Results
Semi Final 1: Artemis Racing defeated Energy Team; 2-0
Semi Final 2: Luna Rossa – Piranha defeated ORACLE TEAM USA – Spithill; 2-1

The losers of the Semi Final and Quarter Final matches have been assigned final finishing positions (3rd through 9th) in the Match Racing Championship as per the Sailing Instructions.

3. ORACLE TEAM USA – Spithill
4. Energy Team
5. Emirates Team New Zealand
6. Team Korea
7. Luna Rossa Swordfish
8. ORACLE TEAM USA Bundock
9. China Team

The Venice America’s Cup World Series hosted some of the best sailors competing on the Grand Canal of Venice on Friday. Pleasing the local spectators who gathered both on shore as well as on the water, each of the two Luna Rossa crews rose to the occasion, recording a race victory.

America's Cup World Series Venice 2012 - Racing Day 2 Credit: ACEA 2012/ Photo : Gilles Martin-Raget

“Today has been a great day for us, with two victories,” said team skipper Max Sirena. “But we want to keep our feet on the ground and look ahead to the next two days. There are still many points to be gained and we need to approach it in the right way.”

While conditions were perfect for racing, with moderate 8-10 knot sea breezes, the challenge came from the narrow, restricted race course, which was shoe-horned into the canal. This forced the boats close together and the crews were obliged to execute an unprecedented number of tacks and gybes as they zigzagged up and down the track.

“The boats are so physically taxing on the guys, it is literally a flogging,” said Kiwi skipper Dean Barker, who agrees that the helmsman has the ‘easy’ job on board. His team sits in fourth place on a tight leaderboard. “You can’t but help but feel sorry for the other guys. At the end of the race their tongues are hanging out and they’re completely spent.”

Loick Peyron’s Energy Team retained their position at the top of the Fleet Racing leaderboard, but not without some nervous moments. The team was in last place at the first two marks of the second race, before making a spectacular comeback on the next leg of the course to round in second place, a position they protected all the way to the finish, maintaining their consistent finishes to date.

The race course, at its narrowest, was only 140 meters, meaning at times crews would barely have trimmed on a sail before they had to make another manoeuver. But the smaller field of play made for incredible spectator opportunities, with hundreds of boats lining the course, and thousands more taking in the action from the shore.

Venice America's Cup World Series - Day 2 ACEA 2012/ Photo Gilles Martin-Raget

“The Italian people love sailing, they love the America’s Cup, and they love Luna Rossa,” Sirena said. “It was amazing how many people there were and how many boats we had on the water. And on Saturday there will be even more!”

Today’s Match Racing did not take place as scheduled. The Semi Finals are rescheduled to Saturday, and will take place following the Fleet Races 5 and 6.

Fleet Racing Championship – Provisional Leaderboard (after four races)
1.    Energy Team…35 points
2.    Luna Rossa Swordfish…31 points
3.    Luna Rossa Piranha…29 points
4.    Emirates Team New Zealand…29 points
5.    Team Korea…26 points
6.    ORACLE TEAM USA Spithill…21 points
7.    Artemis Racing…21 points
8.    ORACLE TEAM USA Bundock…16 points
9.    China Team…8 points

Match Racing Championship – Semi Final Results
The winners of the Quarter Finals advanced to the ‘best of three’ Semi Finals. No match races were sailed on Friday. The losers of the Quarter Final have been assigned final finishing positions (5th to 9th) in the Match Racing Championship as per the Sailing Instructions.

5. Emirates Team New Zealand
6. Team Korea
7. Luna Rossa Swordfish
8. ORACLE TEAM USA Bundock
9. China Team

Day 1 of the Venice AC World Series saw Loïck Peyron back at the helm of Energy Team, demonstrating all his skill on what was an amazing day for this French team, becoming the overall winner on Day 1 ahead of the Italians on Luna Rossa Swordfish led by Chris Draper as well as Team Korea led by the rising star Nathan Outteridge. The French Energy Team came third in the first race, and subsequently won the second race.

Venice AC World Series 2012 Day 1 © Gilles Martin-Raget / ACEA

Race 1: Energy Team make it to the podium
It was at 1415hrs yesterday (Thursday, May 17) that the fleet of nine AC45 yachts set off on the race course outside of the lagoon in Venice. Team New Zealand and Energy Team crossed the starting line too soon and the French were back in sixth place at the first mark, before they headed off to the left-hand side of the race course.

At the third mark, Energy Team were still sixth, while Team Korea grabbed the lead, and the two overall leaders in the rankings, Team New Zealand and Oracle Spithill were still back at the rear. Energy Team overtook Luna Rossa Piranha to move up to fifth place. As they rounded mark 4, Energy Team still fifth, set off on the upwind leg chasing the Swedish Artemis Racing team leading to a gybing battle.

At mark 5, Energy Team was just behind Artemis, as they were attacking Luna Rossa Swordfish for third place. Nathan Outteridge and Team Korea extended their gains at the front to be the clear leader in the race.

It was after mark 6 that Energy Team in fifth place, right behind Oracle Bundock, started to move up, when the latter had a problem unfurling their gennaker in the downwind leg. Energy Team managed to move into fourth place chasing Luna Rossa Swordfish, skippered by Chris Draper, whom they were then able to catch on the final downwind run to finish in third place.

The French Energy Team © Stéphanie Billarant / Energy team

Race 2: Energy Team wins
The fleet got off to a good start with Energy Team in fourth place at the first mark. They had already made it to third position by the second mark, before grabbing second place ahead of Team New Zealand. The Italians on Luna Rossa Swordfish were at the front and the battle began with the French, while TNZ and Oracle Spithill were having their own little fight making gains on the frontrunners.

At Mark 4, Energy Team were still in second place ahead of Dean Barker (TNZ), who was 10 seconds behind the French, who were only just ten seconds behind the leader, Luna Rossa. At mark 4, Energy Team held on to second place, still ten seconds behind the Italians and ahead of TNZ et Oracle Spithill.

As they rounded mark 5, Energy lost a little ground to Luna Rossa, who headed off to the right-hand side of the race course, while Loïck Peyron’s team went left on this downwind leg to be followed by Team New Zealand and Oracle Spithill.

A major upset occurred at mark 6 after an excellent downwind leg from the French, which enabled them to cross in front of Luna Rossa Swordfish with a lead of 5 seconds at the gate. It looked like it was going to be a closely fought duel between the two leaders. Energy Team remained in front keeping their Italian opponent in check, with the gap between the two boats across the race course reaching 90 metres.

The final upwind leg would be the decider for the French. As they passed through Gate 7, Energy managed to extend their lead and the French found themselves out in front some 28 seconds ahead of the Italians on Luna Rossa, while the Kiwis were rapidly narrowing the gap from behind. The French took off ahead of Luna Rossa to finish with a lead of 26 seconds.

Loïck Peyron’s reactions: “Energy Team made it to the top of the mountain today. We’re extremely pleased about this result. We’ve been out there training hard all week. I’m delighted to be back at the helm and to be able to consolidate on the results obtained by Yann Guichard in Naples. We’ve got a great crew and I’d like to congratulate the lads. These boats are fantastic to sail.”

Overall rankings – Day 1 (Thursday 17th May 2012)

1. Energy Team : 18 pts
2. Luna Rossa Swordfish : 16 pts
3. Team Korea : 15 pts
4. ETNZ : 13 pts
5. Artemis : 13 pts
6. Luna Rossa Piranha : 12 pts
7. Oracle Spithill : 10 pts
8. Oracle Bundock : 7 pts
9. China Team : 4 pts

Ahead of the Venice AC World Series as the penultimate event of the 2011-12 AC World Series, ORACLE TEAM USA skipper Jimmy Spithill leads by one point, followed by Dean Barker’s Emirates Team New Zealand. The overall winner will be decided in Newport, Rhode Island, next month.

At the skippers’ press conference on Tuesday in Venice, the sailors were shown, for the first time, the newly commissioned AC World Series Trophy. The topic of conversation was the parity of the fleet, and how difficult it would be to post a consistent scoreline in the racing this week.

“Every single person here wants to win this Series,” Spithill said. “But Venice is going to be very, very challenging. I think the key is to be consistent. Now the level is such that everyone can win. We’ve seen that, and in Venice there will be a lot more opportunities for passing. It will never be over until you get across the finish line. For the spectators it will be fantastic and for the sailors it will be a real test.”

“The battle for consistency is pretty difficult…” agreed Terry Hutchinson, skipper of the third place Artemis Racing. “The challenge is dealing with the conditions and the other competitors and trying to get through some situations that appear quite random at times to get that consistency. The good news is that it’s not a big mystery, the difficult part is in executing.”

The newly commissioned AC World Series Trophy is polished silver, similar to the America’s Cup itself. The nine wing sails supporting the globe represent the nine teams competing in the 2011-12 AC World Series. The globe reflects the international nature of the competing teams and venues, while the overall design is a tribute to the precision of technology that is such an important aspect of the sport.

America’s Cup World Series racing in Venice starts on Thursday at 1415 CEST. Two fleet races along with the first Quarter Final match races are on the schedule for the first day.

On Tuesday afternoon, the teams are scheduled to participate in the first official training day. Practice is also scheduled for Wednesday, but a forecast for poor conditions means Tuesday’s time on the water becomes even more valuable.

Quotes:

Dean Barker, skipper Emirates Team New Zealand, on the challenge of switching to multihulls: “It’s been a case of having to re-learn a lot of instincts. A lot of the natural reactions have been wrong, but slowly we’re improving on that. It’s one of those things that we know that even when we get to the Louis Vuitton Cup in San Francisco next year we’ll still be learning every day. It’s just one of those processes. You see in each event that one team tends to have stepped up relative to the rest. It’s going to be a case of who steps up the best right at the end. It’s a fantastic challenge…”

Loick Peyron, skipper Energy Team, on how his team has developed over the past year: “Yann (Guichard) and the team have done a very good job in San Diego and in Naples and improved a lot. So it’s much easier now on the helm. I can push or pull and the guys are just working as they should. We’ve been sailing for a few days here and it’s maybe one of the best places to train. The weather conditions are great.”

Darren Bundock, skipper, ORACLE TEAM USA Bundock, on having Russell Coutts join his crew: “I wouldn’t say it’s pressure. Russell is a true legend in the America’s Cup and a great addition to our boat tactically. Russell has been thrown in at the deep end. He’s up front, pulling ropes and seeing how physical he’s made these boats! We think it’s great. How often do you get to boss the boss around?!?”

Nathan Outteridge, skipper Team Korea, on getting back into the AC World Series after winning his fourth 49er World Championship last week: “I’m pretty excited to be back here and racing with the best guys in the world. It’s a great chance to get back into it. I went for a quick sail yesterday… And I’m looking forward to getting out there again today and gearing up for the event. It’s an amazing place to sail here in Venice and hopefully we can build on what we did in Naples.”

Phil Robertson, skipper, China Team, on the youth of his team (at 25, he’s the youngest skipper in the fleet): “It’s a big step for us. We’re the youngest team. Our average age is about 26 on board, so for us it’s all about focusing on boat handling and trying to take the small steps to get to the level of these guys. All of these teams have been together for a while and sailing these boats for over a year, so it’s just a matter of trying to catch up to their level.”

Chris Draper, helmsman, Luna Rossa Piranha, on feeling the pressure to perform: “(Skipper) Max Sirena and the team have been very quick to make sure we don’t get ahead of ourselves. We still have some massive weak areas we can improve upon. If we keep focusing on ourselves and making sure that we’re improving, the results will take care of themselves.”

Paul Campbell-James, helmsman, Luna Rossa Swordfish, on why they’ve been able to catch up to the rest of the fleet so quickly: “Having the two boats allows us to get the most we can out of the training sessions and every day we go out on the water. Our team sailed together last year in the X40s and Chris did so well with Team Korea, so we’re learning a lot from each other.”

2011-12 AC World Series, overall leaderboard

1. ORACLE TEAM USA – Spithill… 67 points
2. Emirates Team New Zealand… 66 points
3. Artemis Racing… 54 points
4. Energy Team… 48 points
5. ORACLE TEAM USA – Bundock… 47 points
5.Team Korea… 47 points
7. China Team… 26 points
8. Luna Rossa Piranha… 19 points
9. Luna Rossa Swordfish… 12 points