Friday, November 13, 2009

Big match to come on Saturday

Tomorrow's scheduled race against Synergy is the only match remaining in Round Robin 1, and it's of critical importance as the event organisers have modified the format of the regatta after seeing so many postponements due to the weather.


(The guys grind their way around the mark - they need a win on Saturday)

Here's an excerpt from our daily report that will be posted on the main team website, explaining why the race on Saturday means so much to the team:

...A win keeps BMW ORACLE Racing in the top four, while a loss drops them into the second tier of teams. The changed format now sees the top four teams each race against every one of the bottom four teams in the shortened second round of the regatta. (This means each team has four matches instead of seven).

So finishing in the top four brings the promise of easier races in round two, after which the top four teams advance to a Semi Final and Final, while the bottom four sail for the minor placings...

The guys have the Louis Vuitton Gala Party tonight to take their minds off tomorrow's race, for a few hours at least.

Here are the unofficial rankings as of the end of racing on Friday.

Round Robin 1 Standings (Synergy and BMW ORACLE Racing have one match still to sail)

1. Emirates Team New Zealand; 6-1
2. Azzurra; 6-1
3. TeamOrigin; 5-2
4. BMW ORACLE Racing; 3-3
5. Artemis; 3-4
6. Synergy; 2-4
7. ALL4ONE; 2-5
8. TFS - Pages Jaunes; 0-7