New Zealand Dominates: Takes 6-2 Lead Over Great Britain

New Zealand dominated both races on Friday extending their lead to 6-2 over Great Britain and moving closer to retaining the America’s Cup. Ben Ainslie’s Ineos Britannia team entered the day determined to even the best-of-13 series in Barcelona following a strong performance on Wednesday. However, favorable wind conditions played a crucial role allowing Emirates Team New Zealand to secure victories in both race seven and race eight earning them five valuable match points.

“It wasn’t a good day for us – hats off to the Kiwis,” acknowledged British skipper Ben Ainslie. He praised the New Zealand team for their strong performance, stating, “They sailed two really strong races in that shifty stuff and managed to pick the right side off both start lines and get that first shift. They did a really nice job of defending when ahead and putting us in a bad spot. We’ll take it on the chin, and it’s still not over yet, so we’ll keep fighting.”

As racing continues on Saturday, New Zealand aims to become the first team to win the Auld Mug for three consecutive times since the United States achieved this feat from 1987 to 1992. Meanwhile, Great Britain is competing in their first America’s Cup final since 1964 and has yet to win the prestigious silver ewer in the event’s 173-year history.

Fans can catch the remaining races of the America’s Cup live on BBC iPlayer as well as the BBC Sport website and app with Saturday’s races set to start at 13:00 BST. The excitement builds as both teams gear up for crucial races in this historic competition.