The Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland was the second in a scheduled series of regattas that compete for the Louis Vuitton Trophy. The regatta was held in Auckland between 7–21 March 2010.[1] The Louis Vuitton Trophy format uses existing International America's Cup Class yachts loaned to the regatta by various America's Cup racing syndicates, keeping costs low for the competing teams.
| Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland | |
|---|---|
| Date | 7–21 March 2010 |
| Winner | Team New Zealand |
| Location | Auckland, New Zealand |
The Louis Vuitton Trophy was organised after the success of the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series and the continued legal battle surrounding the America's Cup yachting competition at the time. Because of the long delays from the legal action, and the fact that the 2010 America's Cup became a Deed of Gift match without a defender or challenger selection series, the Louis Vuitton Trophy series was established as a competition for other America's Cup racing syndicates.
The Auckland event was hosted by Team New Zealand and the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.
The Yachts
editThe event used two International America's Cup Class yachts loaned specifically for the event; Team New Zealand's NZL-92 and NZL-84. One of BMW Oracle Racing's old boats, USA-87, was on standby to be used as a backup in case of damage, but was not required.[2][3]
Teams
editEight teams competed in the Auckland event. BMW Oracle Racing did not compete due to the pressures of the 2010 America's Cup.[2]
The Races
editRound Robin
edit7–16 March
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*deducted a point for damaging the boats[4]
Elimination Finals
edit17–20 March
The final series used the McIntyre final eight system, with all teams competing in the first elimination round. Team New Zealand and Mascalzone Latino Audi Team both earned a bye during the second elimination round. The second elimination round was scheduled for a best of three but was reduced to just one race due to low winds in the morning of the 18 March. As top seed after the first elimination round, Team New Zealand decided to face Azzurra in the Semifinals.[5]
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The Final
edit| Team Name | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mascalzone Latino Audi Team | L | L | X | X | X | 0 |
| Team New Zealand | W (00:12) | W | X | X | X | 2 |
Due to light wind the Final series was reduced to a best of three series.
| 2010 Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland |
|---|
 Team New Zealand First Title |
Broadcasting
editTelevision
editLarge TV screens were set up in the Viaduct Harbour for spectators to watch. Coverage was also streamed online.
TVNZ featured the early round robin results in there One News sports coverage, as did TV3's 3 News. From the elimination stage TV One had a nightly half-hour report and the two final days featured live broadcasts on TV One.
Radio
editThe event was broadcast on a special radio station set up for the event, LiveSport Sailing 103.0 FM.
Junior Series
editA Junior series for under-15's was again run at the same time as the main regatta. The competition used O'pen BIC yachts around a short course in Auckland's Viaduct Harbour. The winner received the opportunity to be 18th man on one of the boats boat during the Cup Final races and an O'pen Bic yacht. The event was sponsored by the New Zealand Herald.
Auckland Festival of Sail
editThe Louis Vuitton Trophy is part of an "Auckland Festival of Sail", as the event was preceded by the Omega Auckland match-race regatta and followed by the BMW World Sailing Cup final.[6] The Auckland International Boat Show also took place from the 11–14 March.[7]
A one-day superyacht regatta was also planned to be held alongside the Louis Vuitton event.[8]
The New Zealand Government committed NZ$1.5 million to help fund the Festival and the Auckland City Council contributed $650,000.[2]
Match Racing Regatta
editThe Auckland Match Racing Regatta was held from the 3 March until the 6 March and included ten well known skippers. The teams of five sailed in identical Bruce Farr designed MRX's. The regatta was won by Dean Barker who defeated Ben Ainslie in the final.[9] The winning crew consisted of Barker, Ray Davies, Jeremy Lomas, Don Cowie, James Dagg and Tony Rae.[10]
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BMW Sailing Cup world final
editThe BMW Sailing Cup world final was held from the 22 March until the 25 March and included seven amateur national teams sailing in Farr MRX's.[11] The regatta was won by New Zealand, who became the first country to win back to back titles.[12]
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References
edit- ^ Auckland to stage Louis Vuitton World Series infonews.co.nz, 9 September 2009
- ^ a b c Lewis, Paul (20 December 2009). "Yachting: BMW Oracle out of Auckland regatta". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
- ^ Ready and raring to race![permanent dead link] WSTA, 4 March 2010
- ^ McFadden, Suzanne (14 March 2010). "Yachting: Ripping yarns on harbour". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
- ^ "Yachting: Team NZ not planning to be nice". The New Zealand Herald. 19 March 2010. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
- ^ Johannsen, Dana (17 December 2009). "Yachting: Triple event for world's top sailors". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
- ^ Auckland Festival of Sailing Archived 2010-03-09 at the Wayback Machine Auckland City Council
- ^ Superyacht event for Auckland Louis Vuitton World Series Yachting World, 5 November 2009
- ^ Pearce, Bob (7 March 2010). "Yachting: Barker hits his straps". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
- ^ Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron Archived 2010-02-21 at the Wayback Machine, Accessed 8 March 2010
- ^ Regatta Information.[permanent dead link] BMW Yachtsport
- ^ "Yachting: Regatta victory for Team NZ". The New Zealand Herald. 26 March 2010. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
External links
edit- www.louisvuittontrophy.com/home/ - Official Website