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Quotes of the Day after Race 1.
The best of what was said by both sides after Race 1, 33rd America's Cup.
BMW ORACLE Racing
Team:
 James
Spithill (AUS) skipper/helm BMW ORACLE Racing Team (USA):
“Obviously it was
quite exciting at the start. We were able to get a
piece of them in the entry and that is something we
had been thinking about for quite some time, and it
started to set up to look like we might be able to
get a penalty on them, so I pushed it pretty hard in
there. Obviously that left us pretty close to them
and we then we had a hard time slowing the boat
down. We were in a pretty controlling position then,
as time went on through we got ourselves stuck in
irons, but also I want to say well done to Alinghi,
they did a good job getting out from there.”
“ We still have a
lot to learn. It kind of showed today that we aren’t
at race level preparation that we are kind of used
to in these campaigns. But it was an exciting start
with plenty of action.”
Larry Ellison (USA) team founder and afterguard BMW ORACLE
Racing Team (USA):
“ I think my
emotions started when it looked like we were going
to race in three and a half knots of breeze. Russell
and I were on the boat and we were told that we
might be sailing in 20 minutes then we had the call
to get as many people off the boat and as much stuff
as possible off the boat to sail as light as
possible, because there was a very, very light
breeze. I had to get off the boat and so did
Russell. And so we sailed with a minimum crew. So I
think it is more stressful to watch than to sail.”
Russell Coutts
(NZL) CEO and afterguard BMW ORACLE Racing Team (USA):
“ I think it is
early days. I said before the series that you wont
be able to draw conclusions from the first few
minutes of these races….but how about that win….??
"It looked pretty good from where I was sitting
today. I think the team did a good job. The guys on
board sailed a really nice race, pretty much
faultless. They had a few problems at the start,
that can happen in these boats, but we are very,
very happy with where we are, but we are only a tiny
way into this series now. There is so much more work
to do. We know we are up against the best team out
there and we are certainly not going to take our
foot off the throttle. We are going to try and
improve our performance further.”
Larry Ellison (USA) team founder and afterguard BMW ORACLE
Racing Team (USA):
“ The piece of kit
we are most proud is the wing.”
“Today I did say
that sailing is a lot harder than running a software
company!”
Russell Coutts
(NZL) CEO and afterguard BMW ORACLE Racing Team (USA):
“I think it is just
way too early to draw too many conclusions. We are
only one race into the series. We will see at the
end of the series in terms of the relative values of
the wing.”
James Spithill
(AUS) skipper/helm BMW ORACLE Racing Team (USA):
“To be honest I
think we carried a bit of pressure down, I think we
carried it down the lane. It was one of those
things, I think, where the boat in the lead was
always gaining. Having said that I think that JK
(tactician John Kostecki) did a really nice job, he
absolutely nailed it on the downwind leg. Full
credit to him and the weather team.”
“It was very very
shifty, very very puffy.”
“It was certainly
good to see the guys under pressure like that
because it did not really phase them one bit. They
all just got straight back into what they were
supposed to do and that is sailing the boat fast.”
 Alinghi
(SUI):
Brad Butterworth
(NZL) skipper/tactician Alinghi (SUI):
“We tried to keep
the boats apart with having the bottom pin offset
but it was not actually set up that well, and we
thought we had just done enough but obviously not.
But that really did not have any reflection on who
won the race. It made some interesting stop and
start, in irons and going backwards, something we’d
never done on multihulls.”
Ernesto Bertarelli
(SUI), helmsman and team president Alinghi (SUI):
"For sure at the
start after the penalty it felt good they were
stopped we could gybe and start. The wind changed
quite rapidly. We had six or seven knots during the
pre start and right off the start we were surprised
with the wind coming in so strong, so quickly, 12
knots, but we thought we were doing good. But they
caught up. We had to make a sail change which slowed
us, but they were fast today and the wing seems to
be quite a weapon. "
Brad Butterworth
(NZL) skipper/tactician Alinghi (SUI):
"They certainly
showed how fast they can get their boat going. They
could not have come off the line in a worse position
and they ended up in a very strong position. When
you are sitting in front of them and they sail up
and around you, that is speed."
Ernesto Bertarelli
(SUI), helmsman and team president Alinghi (SUI):
"Actually we had
too much sail area for the most part of the race. We
did not have the set up we would have liked to have
had. There was a bit more wind than we expected, so
I don’t think sail area would have made much of a
difference. It does, I think, show that the wing is
quite versatile in many different conditions, but I
am not sure sail area would have made much of a
difference."
Ernesto Bertarelli
(SUI), helmsman and team president Alinghi (SUI):
"I have absolutely
no regrets and no frustration. Actually I quite
enjoyed myself on the water today. It’s racing, you
win, you lose that is part of the game. We gave
everything we have got over the last two and a half
years. So there there is nothing to be frustrated
about or ashamed about. Again, the Cup is not over.
We still have one race to go. They have to cross the
line, finish the race and score two points."
Ernesto Bertarelli
(SUI), helmsman and team president Alinghi (SUI):
“ I tell you, when
you are in my position with the ten years that are
behind and the team I have and the opportunity to
race one more, or maybe two more races in the
America’s Cup, you can’t call any day a hard day in
the America’s Cup. They are all good days. Today it
just happened they were faster, they sailed a good
race.”
“ We lost and I
learned over the years that losing is part of
enjoying sailing and going racing.”
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