INEOS BRITANNIA STRUCK back against America’s Cup defenders Emirates Team New Zealand with two impressive race wins on Wednesday to keep their hopes of glory alive.
The Kiwis hold a 4-2 advantage after dominating the opening battles in the 37th edition of the competition but Ben Ainslie’s British team finally got on the board off the coast of Barcelona.
Ineos triumphed by one minute 18 seconds in the first race to stop the rot after four consecutive defeats as New Zealand endured a disastrous start in light wind conditions.
Then in a far tighter second race, Ainslie and his team held onto a small lead earned at the start to triumph by seven seconds.
Ainslie badly needed to gain a foothold in the best-of-13 series which was slipping away from his team after they qualified for the race for the first time in 60 years.
In 2013, Ainslie produced a stunning comeback with Oracle Team USA against New Zealand, coming back from 8-1 down in a 17-race series to win — and Ineos’s victories on Wednesday sparked hope of potentially managing a similar feat.
Britain hosted the inaugural America’s Cup race in 1851 around the Isle of Wight but have never triumphed in the 173 years since.
Ineos Britannia, bankrolled by billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, the co-owner of Manchester United, are dreaming of lifting the world’s oldest international sporting trophy for the first time.
Racing continues on Friday, with New Zealand three victories away from triumph.
