By Alexander Smith
BARCELONA (Reuters) – Britain seized on an Italian pre-start slip-up in the America’s Cup challenger series on Monday, taking a 3-2 lead in the battle to take on defenders New Zealand to lift the ‘Auld Mug’.
With the breeze off Barcelona below the maximum level of 21 knots, race five of the series got under way promptly with both crews relishing the calmer seas than the previous day.
The British capitalised on the Italians getting caught by a momentary loss of control in their foiling AC75’s rudder to rip across the start line and establish an early lead, which they had to defend for the rest of the race as Italy fought back.
With close-quarter tack-for-tack engagement, British co-helms Ben Ainslie and Dylan Fletcher tried to slow Italy’s Jimmy Spithill and Francesco Bruni with ‘dirty air’ from their rig.
“They came back well … They pushed us really hard. The guys did a good job to defend and keep the boat on its feet,” Ainslie, 47, said of the tightly-contested race.
“We take each race as it comes .. We know we are up against a class team,” Ainslie said on the America’s Cup live broadcast.
Bruni said the Italians had experienced a “little problem” with their foil, adding that from there it did not go their way in the first of Monday’s two races.
(Reporting by Alexander Smith; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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