Americas Cup: AC50 Squad vs Team New Zealand

AC50’s lining up already?
America’s Cup Class race boats lining up already?
Until this week it was prohibited by the protocol, but now allowed after yet another rule change.
Working together to protect their future AC framework agreement?
Posted by Emirates Team New Zealand 


Video above and comments posted by Team New Zealand – The AC having the Defender being helped in such manner is contributing to kill Cup tradition and transforming it in standard pro level event. Which is Oracle’s goal with their new framework.

Some said the same when going from monos to racing Cats, but not quite . Cats and now foiling ones are fastest sailboats with latest tech (pardon me the control panel button foiling) which is conceptual AC tradition since day 1: Fastest boats, latest tech.

Americas Cup should remain an unique event, pro leagues can be done in parallel no problem.
Changing rules at will by the Oracle Squad teams is only benefiting Oracle in the end like the participation of the defender before the Finals, all aspects reducing chances for the challenger themselves.

Team New Zealand stated some months ago: “TNZ & Prada were working together to dethrone the Defender!” replying to Oracle’s “you guys trained with and even had clone boats with Prada”

In contrast a vote towards favoring Challengers would have been all teams but Oracle voting to modify the rule and excluding the defender from these lining ups.

-Update: More details from Gladwell on additional protocol changes at sail-world.com/NZ/Americas-Cup—Late-Protocol-change-further-stacks-deck-against-Kiwis/152587

– On the video itself, great action , these boats are more agile and fastger than the AC72s, still that extreme nose down trim (which is fasf mode) is scary…