AC34: Oracle gets -2 points ahead of Cup Final against New Zealand

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Not like this…what a waste. Oracle got -2 points for the Final against New Zealand for modifying their AC45s when participating in the ACWS.  I don´t know if 2 points is too much as the sailors were banned, but this surely will make any other team at any level think twice before breaking the rules. We all make mistakes in Life so is not a matter to get all over the sailors mentioned, Management failed to control or prevent this to happen, so it is right for Oracle as a team to be responsible. But we will never know how it really happened.. did sailors at that level acted by their own?


News from Stuff.co.nz
“America’s Cup holders Oracle will start their defence on minus-two potential points, and have had four squad members banned including two sailors and been fined US$250,000 after being found guilty of cheating by the International Jury…”
Read Full story here

Official AmericasCup.com Press Release at Americascup.com

Oracle Statement “Today, the America’s Cup Jury announced that one Team USA sailor, our primary wing trimmer, and two shore crew have been excluded from further participation in the 34th America’s Cup. This penalty was assessed because of a rules breach occurring in early 2012, well over a year ago, involving modifications to the team’s AC45 yachts, not the larger AC72 yachts that will be used in the America’s Cup.

The Jury has also penalized the team by deducting two races from Team USA in upcoming the 34th America’s Cup. That means Team USA will have to win 11 races to win the America’s Cup while Team New Zealand will only have to win nine races.

“The rules infractions involved only a few of our 130 team members, and were done without the knowledge of either our team’s management or the skippers who were driving the boats,” said team CEO Russell Coutts. “While we disagree with the unprecedented penalties imposed by the Jury, we have no choice but to make the necessary changes to personnel on our race boat and do our best to use the next four days for the new team to practice and get ready for the start of the 34th America’s Cup.”

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1 Response

  1. brucehoult says:
    September 4, 2013 at 5:03 am

    So, if I understand it right, that now needs up to 19 races to decide it: potentially to 9:10 for ETNZ to win or 11:8 for Oracle to win.

    In practice though, it's been thirty years since an AC went down to the wire, with the closest since then being 5-2 and usually whatever-0.

    So it's pretty unlikely that the penalty will make any difference.

    Losing their #1 sail trimmer is a bigger deal, but it's not as if their #2 is rubbish.