Shosholoza moves up in Valencia
Brad Morgan
10 April 2007
South Africa's America's Cup challenger, Team Shosholoza, moved up two places into seventh in the overall rankings in last week's Louis Vuitton Act 13 in Valencia, Spain, picking up crucial bonus points ahead of next week's Louis Vuitton Cup.
America's Cup defender Team Alinghi showed up well in the Louis Vuitton Act 13, winning four of seven races.
Team Shosholoza managing director Salvatore Sarno said the team had achieved what they set out to do.
"We have put a place between us and the French Areva and Italian +39 challengers, who were tied for seventh place overall going into Act 13. It means we get the critical two bonus points we were after as we go into the Louis Vuitton Cup next week."
'Fantastic spirit'
"I think South Africa deserves it," said Ian Walker, the tactician for Italy's +39. "They have been among the teams who have trained the most in Valencia. They have got fantastic spirit and
they were quite clear on what their goal was going into this event."
Shosholoza's best performance came in the first race of Act 13, where they finished second to the USA's BMW Oracle Racing. They followed that up with eighth, third, seventh, fifth, seventh and ninth placings in the subsequent races.
The team made a strong impression on Pierfrancesco Vago, the CEO of MSC Cruises, whose eleventh-hour sponsorship had allowed Shosholoza to make numerous improvements to their yacht before Act 13.
Vago joined the team as the eighteenth man on board for the final two days of racing, and loved the experience. "I was meant to only do one day, but the spirit is so exhilarating that I took advantage of going out for another day," he said.
"I also found the boat much faster than it was in Trapani, Sicily in 2005. I believe the semi-finals of the Louis Vuitton Cup are within our reach."
Act 13 standings
Team Alinghi topped the Act
13 standings with 78 points after four wins. Emirates Team New Zealand took second place on 64 points after securing two victories, while Italy's Mascalzone Latino took third, just one point back, thanks to a consistent showing that included one second-place and two third-place finishes.
With Alinghi's placings not factored into the overall challenger rankings, and with points worth triple in Act 13, a number of teams were able to earn bonus points to carry through to the Louis Vuitton Cup. These points could prove crucial if a tie-breaker is needed to determine the semi-final places.
Emirates Team New Zealand picked up four bonus points, while BMW Oracle Racing, Luna Rossa and Desafio Espanol all claimed three. Team Shosholoza, Mascalazone Latino and Victory Challenge followed with two each. There was also a point apiece for Areva Challenge, United Internet Team Germany and China Team.
Act 13 was the final opportunity for the challengers to race against the
defending champions Alinghi. Next up, from 16 April to 11 June, the challengers will go head-to-head in round-robin match-racing.
The 11 challengers will be whittled down to four - and ultimately to one - as each team vies for the opportunity to take on Team Alinghi for the America's Cup.
Final Leaderboard Louis Vuitton Act 13
- Team Alinghi - 78 points
- Emirates Team New Zealand - 64 points
- Mascalzone Latino - 63 points
- Luna Rossa Challenge - 60 points
- BMW Oracle Racing - 57 points
- Desafío Español 2007 - 55 points
- Team Shosholoza - 43 points
- Victory Challenge - 35 points
- Areva Challenge - 31 points
- United Internet Team Germany - 29 points
- +39 Challenge - 17 points
- China Team - 15 points
| 
