America's Cup - Day two report as it happened

Sir Ben Ainslie’s outfit went into the second day of action on top of the leaderboard, following two wins and a third in Muscat yesterday.

And they maintained their push for a place in Bermuda 2017 with second spot in today’s opening race behind winners Emirates Team New Zealand.

At one point sitting fifth after a poor start, Ainslie & Co powered their way up the rankings in the final two legs of the opener to claim second ahead of Softbank Team Japan.

With double points available on the second day, BAR suffered another disappointing start in race two, picking up a penalty by crossing the start line too early.

That meant they sat in sixth place right up until the final leg, where they gained some momentum to snatch fourth right at the death.

The comeback, which earned BAR 14 points from the outing, saw them maintain their lead at the top of the standings (60 points), but with Emirates Team New Zealand close behind on 58.

The winners of race two were defending America’s Cup champions Oracle Team USA.

In race three, another penalty was enforced on BAR after another early start.

That saw them sit in sixth for most of the race, with a possible drop to third overall in the weekend’s leaderboard on the cards.

But on leg three, Ainslie & Co got the Portsmouth-based side up to third, where they eventually ended the race behind winners Groupama Team France and runners-up Oracle Team USA.

And with Oracle unable to steal victory from the French, it ensured BAR won the regatta overall by the narrowest of margins.

After crossing the line, Ainslie said: ‘We made it hard for ourselves’.

Final standings - Oman

Land Rover BAR - 76 points

Oracle Team USA - 74

Emirates Team New Zealand - 70

Groupama Team France - 68

Softbank Team Japan - 61

Artemis Racing - 56