By Alexander Smith
BARCELONA (Reuters) -Britain reached their first America’s Cup final for 60 years on Friday, defeating Italy to set up a head-to-head against defenders New Zealand later this month off Barcelona.
There were loud celebrations among the eight sailors on board the British AC75 foiling boat after they crossed in the finish to win the Louis Vuitton Cup series over Italy and with it the right to challenge New Zealand.
The British have never won the coveted “Auld Mug” since it began off the south coast of England in 1851 and have not qualified for the “match” to challenge for it since 1964.
But skipper Ben Ainslie, with the backing of British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe has built a boat with the help of Formula One team Mercedes that he hopes can go all the way.
“It’s a massive day for our team,” Ainslie said on the America’s Cup live broadcast, thanking them for their support and the work of the technical and support crew.
“This moment is for you,” he added.
Ainslie and his crew were joined by Ratcliffe after they were presented with the silverware for beating the Italian crew in a tightly-contested race.
The 37-year-old, who is already the most successful Olympic sailor, has made it his mission to “bring the Cup home”, spearheading a campaign that has cost more than 100 million pounds ($131 million).
“There’s a huge investment of time and money and you just want to make it count,” Ainslie said.
($1 = 0.7635 pounds)
(Reporting by Alexander Smith; Editing by Alex Richardson and Christian Radnedge)
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