Sir Ben Ainslie’s bid to create British sporting history starts in earnest

The Olympic legend’s Portsmouth-based Ineos Team UK are in New Zealand aiming to become the first British winners of the 170-year-old silverware in what is the 36th staging of the competition.

The first two round robins in the Prada Cup will be the first opportunity for Ainslie’s team to put last month’s frustrating World Series event behind them.

Team Ineos’ Britannia boat finished winless after six races in the Series, which like the Prada Cup is being raced in the waters off Auckland.

They were plagued by technical issues on the first of three days racing, and had to withdraw from one race.

After the event, Ainslie stated: ‘As competitive sailors, taking a beating like that is pretty hard to take, so we will go away, regroup, and keep our heads up.’

The ‘regroup’ has involved new parts and modifications in a bid to make Britannia more competitive and keep Ainslie’s dream alive.

‘The team has been working flat out since the World Series and we think we have improved a lot from where we were,’ he said.

‘We have brought a lot of new parts online including a new rudder, new rudder elevator, new mast, new mainsail, and new headsails. Then alongside that we have made modifications to our foils, to the aero package on our hull and we have changed the systems inside the hull.

‘We knew our development from the World Series would have to be significant and we have certainly been busy.

‘Have we improved enough? Time will tell.

‘We are more competitive in the medium to stronger breeze at the moment than the lighter airs, which is where we need to improve our performance.

‘That is our focus and there will be more to come on that after the first weekend of racing. In the America’s Cup the development never stops.

‘I give the team a huge amount of credit for the work and the effort they have put in since the World Series. Everyone has been working flat out and limiting all distractions to identify and rectify our issues.

‘We are all now excited to see how much of a jump we have made in our performance.’

The Prada Cup is a series of four round robins between January 15-17 and January 22-24 featuring the three challengers to defending champions Emirates Team New Zealand - Team Ineos, Luna Rossa and American Magic.

The winner of the series will qualify for the Prada Cup final with the remaining two challengers going into a repechage series (January 29-February 2) for the right to join the round robin winner in the final (February 13-22).

The winner of the Prada Cup will face Emirates Team New Zealand in the America’s Cup match in March.

‘It will be very interesting to see the improvements every team has made, both in their developments and modifications and how well each team can handle their boat,’ said Ainslie.

‘The more racing we get on these fantastic boats, the more our strategies and tactics will develop.

‘We have only begun scratching the surface of the potential of these AC75s.

‘It is a fascinating challenge for us as sailors and it should be a real spectacle for the fans watching here in New Zealand, back home in the UK and across the world.’

Ainslie’s team will race twice on Friday, once each against American Magic and Luna Rossa.

The America’s Cup was first held off the Isle of Wight in 1851. The trophy was put up by the Cowes-based Royal Yacht Squadron and won by an American boat called, appropriately, America.

The New York Yacht Club then successfully defended the trophy 24 times over 132 years before Australia II ended their supremacy in 1983.

Since then, the USA have won the cup five times, New Zealand three and Switzerland twice.

The last time a British boat even reached the final was in 1964. Prior to that, GB boats had lost in 15 finals to the New York club.