Ineos and Ainslie have match point

British sailing icon Sir Ben Ainslie and the Ineos Britannia team are close to entering the race for the America’s Cup. In the challenger duel with the Italian team Luna Rossa for the Louis Vutton Cup, the four-time Olympic champion achieved two victories on Wednesday in front of Barcelona. Ineos is leading 6:4 and can achieve its decisive seventh victory on Friday.

For the British team, which belongs to the billionaire and head of the Ineos chemical company Sir Jim Ratcliffe, it would be the first participation in the world’s most famous sailing competition. Luna Rossa had qualified for the America’s Cup twice. The Italians lost in 2000 and the most recent edition in 2021 (both against Emirates Team New Zealand).

The New Zealanders are the defending champions for the race for the America’s Cup, which will also take place in front of Barcelona from October 12th. There, too, seven wins are required for overall success. The competition for the legendary silver jug ​​“The Auld Mug” goes back to 1851, when the first major prestige sailing took place off the British Isle of Wight.