Ineos chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe joined in the teams celebrations (Joan Monfort/AP) (Image: Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
For the first time in 60 years, Great Britain has secured a spot in the America’s Cup, thanks to four-time Olympic champion Ben Ainslie who led Ineos Britannia to victory over Italy.
Ineos Britannia, holding a 6-4 lead in the first-to-seven Louis Vuitton Cup series on Friday, needed only one win from the two scheduled races off the Barcelona coast to become official challengers to Emirates Team New Zealand.
The British team built on a quick start to establish a 150-metre lead over Italy’s Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli boat after the first of eight legs.
Despite the Italians closing the gap to within 30 metres during the fifth leg, Ineos Britannia quickly regained their advantage, speeding clear to finish as comfortable winners by 300m.
This marks a third attempt success for Ainslie’s crew and ends a wait that goes back to 1964, with Ineos Britannia set to face New Zealand in the final over another best-of-seven series from October 12 to 21.
Back in 1964, a team led by Peter Scott defeated a second British yacht, Kurrewa, to achieve challenger status, but were then trounced 4-0 by America’s dominant New York Yacht Club.
Ineos Britannias team celebrate their victory (Joan Monfort/AP) (Image: Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Britain celebrated its first and only America’s Cup win in the inaugural regatta in 1851, when the Royal Yacht Squadron won a fleet race around the Isle of Wight.
Despite Britain providing the challenger for 16 of the 18 subsequent races between 1870 and 1964, the crews were unsuccessful each time.
The New York Yacht Club’s impressive streak of 25 consecutive victories came to an end when the Americans were finally bested by Australia in Fremantle in 1987.
In a triumphant post-race interview on the America’s Cup YouTube channel, Ainslie expressed his pride: “It is a massive day for our team and I can’t say how proud I am of everyone, not just here on the water but also back on the shore in Barcelona and a lot of people back in Brackley in the UK helping us on the technical side,”.
He dedicated the victory to his team: “So this is for the team, it was massive effort to get us here and is a massive moment for all of them.”
Reflecting on the journey, Ainslie acknowledged the support that made their participation possible: “We started this team 10 years ago, Britain wasn’t in the America’s Cup, it took a lot of people to come in and support the team financially, of course Jim (Ratcliffe) and his team at Ineos.”
Ainslie extended his gratitude to the long-term supporters: “So it is another huge thank you to all the supporters of British Sailing and Britain’s America’s Cup (team) over the years, this moment is for you.”
Britannia secured its spot in the finals after defeating Swiss team Alinghi 5-2 in the semi-finals, setting up another opportunity to vie for the America’s Cup.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, chairman of Ineos, was present in Barcelona to witness the races and partook in the festivities with the crew.
Acknowledging the weight of expectations, Ainslie said: “There is a lot of pressure, these huge organisations have made a lot of investment of time and money, and you want to make it right, to make it count, I am just so delighted for the whole team.”
He also paid homage to their competitors: “But also I want to give a shout out to Luna Rossa, they are an amazing team with an amazing history in the cup.”
The sailing squad’s spirits are high as they brace for a series of challenging races. “They are incredible opponents and we expect this wont be the last time we have a big fight against those boys.”
Team leader Ainslie told BBC Sport, anticipating tough competition from New Zealand: “We know the Kiwis are a huge challenge, they are the All Blacks of sailing.”
Acknowledging his team’s readiness, Ainslie remarked, “But we have been pushed incredibly hard by Luna Rossa, they are a class act, and we said before whichever team gets through to this final they are going to be battle hardened and can give the Kiwis a really good run.”
Ratcliffe, filled with hope, insisted that Britannia’s performance in Barcelona will reignite passion among British fans. Speaking to BBC Sport, Ratcliffe expressed his belief in the importance of the race: “It’s 60 years since we’ve been in this place. They sailed a faultless race today,” proudly stating that the event might garner more attention in the UK.
He stressed the significance of the competition by saying, “This is right up there really. It’s not followed by the mass public, but I think in the UK now it’ll pick up momentum, and it should do because it’s the oldest international trophy in the world and the only one we haven’t won.”
