Americas Cup Ainslie Team win Oman Series

Sir Ben Ainslie's BAR team have won the America's Cup World Series in Oman.

They were leading after Saturday's races but had a fight to stay top of the leaderboard on Sunday after a poor start in race four and two penalties in races five and six.

But other results went their way and BAR won with 76 points, two ahead of defending champions Oracle Team USA.

Four-time Olympic champion Sir Ben said: "It was pretty tough and we were relieved to get back on top of Oracle."

The BAR team included Rio-bound Finn world champion Giles Scott, whom Sir Ben praised for his tactics.

The Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series is the first stage of competition in the 2017 America's Cup, with the next round of racing being held in New York in May.

The World Series will also visit Chicago, Portsmouth and Toulon this year, with a possible sixth event in Tokyo as it continues its bid to bring state-of-the-art sailing to a wider international audience.

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Australia Issue Cup Challenge

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Australia's Hamilton Island Yacht Club will act as the Challenger of Record for the 35th America's Cup.

The Queensland club issued the challenge shortly after Oracle Team USA's remarkable 9-8 comeback win against Team New Zealand.

As defenders, Oracle will choose the venue and will consult the Australians and other potential challengers over the dates, boats and format.

The two teams expect to announce the details of the next Cup in early 2014.

The Hamilton Island club, which is yet to announce the name of its racing syndicate, is led by Australian winemaker and sailing legend Bob Oatley, whose succession of yachts named Wild Oats have won six of the last eight Sydney-Hobart races.

"Given Australia's previous success in the America's Cup, the Admiral's Cup and Olympic yachting, and as proud Australians, we think it is time for our nation to be back in our sport's pinnacle event," said Oatley.

"The recently completed America's Cup in San Francisco has revolutionized the sport for sailors and fans, and we were excited to see how many Australians played key roles on the teams and in the regatta organization."

The challenge was filed to Oracle's host club, the Golden Gate Yacht Club, on the 30th anniversary of Australia II's historic 1983 America's Cup win over Dennis Conner's Liberty off Newport, Rhode Island, which ended the New York Yacht Club's 132-year reign as the Cup's defender.

Four years later, US syndicate Stars and Stripes beat Australia's Kookaburra III in Fremantle to take the Cup back to America.

An Australian entry last appeared in the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger series in 2000 when Oracle's victorious skipper Jimmy Spithill helmed an unsuccessful Young Australia in the round robin stage.

Britain's four-time Olympic champion Sir Ben Ainslie, who as tactician was instrumental in Oracle's resurgence in San Francisco, is hoping to launch a British team for the next America's Cup.

The 34th America's Cup had only three challengers - Team New Zealand, Sweden's Artemis Racing and Italy's Luna Rossa - mainly because of the spiralling costs of mounting a campaign with the revolutionary AC72 catamarans, put in excess of $100m (£60m).

"Both clubs are keen to have multiple challengers, as has been the norm since 1970, and to cut campaign costs for all teams," said Golden Gate Yacht Club vice commodore and America's Cup spokesman Tom Ehman

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Team USA Level Race

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Oracle Team USA levelled the America's Cup at 8-8 against Team New Zealand to take the competition into a winner-takes-all final race on Wednesday.

The defending champions clinched their sixth and seventh straight wins on Tuesday to complete a stunning comeback from 8-1 down in San Francisco.

The Americans forced two penalties on the Kiwis at the start of race 17 and surged to a 27-second victory.

Oracle trailed after two legs of race 18 but hit back to win by 54 seconds.

The challengers have been within one race of victory since Wednesday, but have been thwarted by Oracle's resurgence and a series of races postponed by unfavourable wind conditions.

Oracle have won 10 races in all but were penalised two points before the regatta began for illegal modifications to their smaller 45ft catamaran in the warm-up series.

Needing just one win to clinch the America's Cup for the third time, and first time since losing to Alinghi in 2003, Team New Zealand were in need of a better start than in recent days.

But in fresh winds on San Francisco Bay, Oracle skipper Jimmy Spithill forced his counterpart Dean Barker into committing two right-of-way penalties as the boats headed for the line, and made the most of the gap created to stay well clear throughout the five-leg race.

Barker put his boat in a better position before the day's second race as the Kiwis won the sprint to the first mark and were still leading around the downwind gate.

But Oracle surged past as the boats fought a tacking duel upwind and the holders raced clear to take the regatta into a deciding day.

"It doesn't matter how stiff the challenge is, the boys stuck their heads down and outground the other team. Very impressive," said Australian Spithill.

"What gives us confidence is we've really improved the boat. It's just going great. We're looking forward to getting on the racetrack and having one hell of a fight. It's the most exciting day of all of our lives and we wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

Team New Zealand, who beat Italy's Luna Rossa in the challenger series final, dominated the early stages of the event and surged to a four-wins-to-one lead with a faster boat upwind and slicker crew work.

The holders were rattled and played their one postponement card to delay racing and give them time to alter their 72ft catamaran. They also called up Britain's four-time Olympic champion Ben Ainslie from the training crew to the tactician role in place of American John Kostecki.

The two teams won two races apiece in the following days before the Kiwis edged to match point on Wednesday.

After several races were called off because of strong winds, New Zealand were deprived of overall victory in race 13 on Friday when uncharacteristic light winds meant the 40-minute time limit for a race elapsed with the Kiwis two minutes from glory.

Since then, Oracle have been unstoppable and the Larry Ellison-backed outfit have won nine of the past 11 races to set up one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the 162-year-old competition.

The winners of the event get to decide the format and venue of the next America's Cup.

Recent America's Cup winners

2010: Oracle (US) bt Alinghi (Swi) 2-0

2007: Alinghi (Swi) bt Team NZ 5-2

2003: Alinghi (Swi) bt Team NZ 5-0

2000: Team NZ bt Luna Rossa (Ita) 5-0

1995: Team NZ bt Young America (US) 5-0

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USA Narrow Kiwi Gap

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Defending champions Oracle Team USA narrowed the gap on Team New Zealand to keep the America's Cup alive after the Kiwis were denied victory on Friday.

The American team won the day's second race to trail 8-3, with the first to nine points clinching the trophy.

Friday's first race in light wind was abandoned for exceeding the 40-minute time limit with New Zealand minutes from the line with a commanding lead.

Strong winds postponed four races earlier this week in San Francisco.

Oracle won the rescheduled race 13 by one minute 24 seconds after Team New Zealand incurred a right-of-way penalty on the first downwind leg and were further hampered by a slow mark-rounding.

Team New Zealand outsailed the American team in uncharacteristic light airs in the day's first race, but the slow pace of the boats meant the clock was against them and the permitted time elapsed with the Kiwis within two minutes of the line.

"It's a very frustrating day, to be honest," said Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker.

The defending champions, bankrolled by software billionaire Larry Ellison, devised the revolutionary 72ft catamarans - which can reach speeds of up to 50 miles per hour - but were penalised two points in the run-up to the America's Cup after being found guilty of illegal modifications to their boat in a global warm-up series.

Oracle lost six of the first seven races, but the introduction of warm-up skipper Sir Ben Ainslie, a four-time Olympic champion, and improvements to the boat and handling have seen the holders edge back into the regatta with four wins in the last six races.

Nevertheless, New Zealand reached 7-1 on Sunday and could have wrapped up the Cup on Tuesday - with Monday set aside as a rest day - before both races were scrapped because the wind-strength limit had been reached.

The Kiwis edged to match point in Wednesday's first race, but more strong winds against an outgoing tide forced the second race to be postponed. Oracle grabbed another win in the only race possible on Thursday to leave Team New Zealand still one short of victory.

The upper wind limits were introduced as part of a safety review after British Olympian Andrew Simpson was killed when his Artemis yacht capsized in a training accident in May.

Two more races are scheduled for Saturday.

The winners of the America's Cup get to choose the format and venue of the 35th edition of the 162-year-old event.

Oracle beat holders Alinghi in a one-off encounter in Valencia, Spain in 2010 to claim the Cup after the Swiss outfit defeated holders Team New Zealand in 2003 and retained the Cup against the Kiwis in 2007.

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USA Keep Hopes Alive

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Oracle Team USA stayed alive in the America's Cup after beating Team New Zealand in race 12 - the only completed race on Thursday.

Later in the day, Race 13 was postponed until Friday after winds exceeded the 20 knots limit in San Francisco bay.

The Kiwis lead 8-2 in the 17-race finals series and need to win only one more race to take the trophy.

Team USA, the defending champions, took Thursday's only race by a comfortable 31-second margin.

They won the start with a shrewd manoeuvre that pushed New Zealand away from the line, and then showed impressive speed on the critical upwind leg before dashing home for the victory.

The Kiwis turned in the latest of several textbook performances in moving to the brink of victory on Wednesday, and seemed to have beaten back an Oracle revival that saw the United States boat win two thrilling races over the weekend.

But Thursday's first race suggested the momentum could be shifting once again as Oracle showed the speed, tactics and boat handling it needs to match the polished Kiwi team.

"We have to finish this thing," said Ben Gordon, a New Zealander who lives in San Francisco. "The boat's are dead even and it's getting a bit dodgy."

There will be two races - if required - on Friday.

Wednesday's second race was also postponed because of a strong breeze and outgoing tide.

The AC72 catamarans can attain speeds of up to 50 miles per hour, but are hard to control and potentially subject to capsize and equipment failure in high winds.

The Kiwis are seeking their third America's Cup, having won in 1995 and in 2000.

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Oracle America's Revival

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Oracle Team USA revived their flagging hopes with an impressive display in the America's Cup on Saturday as Team New Zealand came close to calamity.

The holders won race eight by 52 seconds after the Kiwis came within inches of capsizing, to narrow the overall score to 6-0 to New Zealand.

Saturday's second race was abandoned after the start because of high winds.

New Zealand need three more wins to clinch the Cup, while Oracle need to win nine after a two-point penalty.

The American outfit, bankrolled by software billionaire Larry Ellison, have won two races but were docked two points for illegal modifications in the America's Cup warm-up series.

In San Francisco, the defending champions have been under serious pressure from the start in the face of a faster New Zealand boat upwind and slicker Kiwi crew work.

After going 4-1 behind in wins, Oracle promoted Britain's four-time Olympic champion Ben Ainslie from warm-up skipper to tactician on Thursday, and made a series of technical adjustments to the boat for Saturday's races.

The changes appeared to pay dividends in race eight as Oracle displayed impressive pace on the windward third leg to claw back the Kiwis lead from the start.

In a tight upwind battle, the decisive moment came when Team New Zealand almost tipped over after the rigid wing sail got stuck on the wrong side during a tack. As well as losing momentum, they were penalised for impeding Oracle and the Americans sailed clear to a stunning victory.

Race nine was abandoned with New Zealand leading early on leg three because the wind had exceeded the 22.6-knot limit during a five-minute period. It has now been rescheduled for Sunday.

The winners of the 162-year-old America's Cup get to decide the format and venue for the next event.

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Ben Ainslie Tests Oracle

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Sir Ben Ainslie was unable to reverse the fortunes of his struggling Oracle Team USA as the defending champions lost two more races to Emirates Team New Zealand in the America's Cup.

Britain's four-time Olympic champion was drafted in for his Cup debut but the Kiwis extended their lead to 6-0.

Oracle have won a race but were docked two points for illegal modifications and they are effectively on minus one.

The first team to nine wins will claim the 162-year-old America's Cup.

Ainslie, 36, was called up from his role as Oracle's warm-up skipper to replace veteran tactician John Kostecki, 49, on Thursday, with the under-fire holders searching for a way back into the 34th America's Cup.

But despite Ainslie's five Olympic medals, he could not compensate for Oracle's lack of pace upwind.

In Thursday's first race on San Francisco Bay, the US team - with only one American actually on board - won the start and led by 12 seconds around the second mark.

But Ainslie's crew were overhauled by the faster and slicker Kiwi outfit on the upwind leg and Dean Barker's Team New Zealand sailed away to win by 47 seconds.

In race seven, Barker's men were first at the start and extended their lead around the five legs to win by their second biggest margin of 66 seconds.

"The first start was a shocker. I was half asleep throughout that one," said Barker. "But full credit to the guys, we stuck with it and took our chance upwind.

"The second one I was conscious I had let the guys down and it all worked out pretty much as I hoped."

Team New Zealand dominated the event's first three races in the revolutionary 72ft catamarans, before Oracle hit back in race four on Sunday.

But, after a rest day, the Kiwis again impressed with their speed and boat handling to win race five by 65 seconds following a number of tactical errors by Oracle.

The Larry Ellison-bankrolled Oracle team appeared to be rattled and played their one "postponement card" of the regatta, to call off race six and "regroup".

But the Kiwis are now just three wins from reclaiming the Cup they last won in Auckland in 2000.

The winners of the event earn the right to choose the format and venue of the next America's Cup, the oldest trophy in international sport.

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