The extraordinary trip of the Orient Express Racing Team at 37 America's Cup has ended today in Barcelona with the French challenge disappointed but proud of how much it has been able to achieve in a short period of time

In his last test of the Louis Vuitton Cup Round Robin phase, the crew of Quentin Delapierre was to defeat the British team INEOS Britannia to have options to continue in the Cup. Although they have started even, the British ship has set itself ahead and the French team has been unable to find a line of passage.

The understandable regret for the result is mixed with a feeling of pride for how far the entire Orient Express Racing Team has come, and the conviction that the lessons learned will provide a solid basis for a future attempt to win the America's Cup for France.

With the project in progress since February last year, and with only 46 hours of flight since the team received its AC75 on June 6, all those involved knew that the challenge was capital.

2024-09-08: Louis Vuitton Cup: bad conditions force the day to be overturned

The heavy rain and the low wind caused the cancellation of a crucial day to determine both the winner and the one that is left out.

The teams that will pass to the semi-finals of the Louis Vuitton Cup and its position and who will stay out, will not be known until this Monday - the first day of booking -.

Meteorology wanted to be the protagonist in its last day and did not allow the three expected match to be disputed, two of them fundamental to determine on the one hand who ends up first, to whom Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and INEOS Britannia aspire, to choose rival in semi-finals and the most dramatic, to determine who will stay out of combat, and there they play Orient Express Racing Team, the current colist, and Alinghi Red Bull Racing.

It was known in advance that it would be a very complicated day. The weather parts predicted the arrival of heavy rains, with the possibility of storms with electrical equipment such as those experienced last Tuesday and which forced the fleet to return to cover quickly.

The morning blanks spread in half a day with force. The ships were in the field of prepared races, but at the same time bear a strong rain and with minimal visibility. The wind was rolling, rising and falling in intensity as the chaps intensified.

With the teams they were already ready and the Committee also, the most important thing was missing in the races, the wind, which of the six knots passed to the five and down. That's right, the sun had come up.

In the end, as much as it was tried was impossible and the day ended up being cancelled until this Monday, the first of the three days of booking and where it is expected that the last three clashes of this first phase will be completed where it will determine which five teams will go to the semi-finals of the Louis Vuitton Cup and also to fire the Emirates Team New Zealand, which will no longer return until October to fight the American Cup.

2024-09-05: Louis Vuitton Cup: Alinghi's machada to the Americans

The Swiss, who show that they are very alive in the Louis Vuitton

After the cancellation of yesterday's races due to the weather, the Louis Vuitton Cup calendar returned to normal with five races disputed under a thermal breeze of between 6 and 10 knots that was a challenge for the regatists. The big news of the day was that Alinghi Red Bull Racing, was getting his second victory... showing that they are able to get into semifinals.

In their today's race against NYYC American Magic, the Swiss were unbeatable. Taking advantage of some unusual errors in the execution of maneuvers and a penalty in the pre-departure imposed on the Americans, the Alinghi Red Bull Racing sailed an impeccable race, showing rhythm and courage to never be overcome after the exit.

2024-09-04: Louis Vuitton Cup: more rays and rushes... and cancellation

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This Wednesday morning, the Regatas Committee met to assess the weather conditions and decided to cancel the day, in view of the forecasts of electric storms that are also expected by Thursday. The AC75, made of carbon, electric transmitter, acts like lightning, which makes it extremely dangerous to get out into the water. In addition, bursts of up to 50 knots are anticipated on the high seas, with a front heading towards Barcelona.

2024-09-03: Louis Vuitton Cup: the rays and rushes of Captain Haddock

The situation became dangerous in the last stretch, where a heavy rain and lightning fell close to the competitors... in the face of the threat of the rays, Emirates Team New Zealand chose to withdraw, resulting in its disqualification and victory for the Azurros, who did not even have to cross the line of arrival. The first day of the second Round Robin of the Louis Vuitton Cup had everything: emotion, formidable races and even rays and thunder, which led to the end of the day before time. A lightning fell a few meters from Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, which caused the premature withdrawal of the Emirates Team New Zealand.

Before the storm, two spectacular match was held and the most expected had been raised. On the one hand, the dramatic Alinghi Red Bull Racing against Orient Express Racing Team, in which the Swiss achieved a very important victory, and on the other hand that of the Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, with the victory of the so-called psychological for the Italians.

They did not let down, and in that of the Swiss and French, the Swiss team was finally seen sailing to a high level, with all the pressure they had on them and on the other and did not let down the confrontation between Italians and New Zealanders.

The match between Ineos Britannia and American Magic and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and Orient Express Racing Team remained undisputed.

2024-09-02: Louis Vuitton Cup: Alinghi-Orient Express Colist duel

If the Swiss win, the French win a double life

The duel between Alinghi Red Bull Racing and Orient Express Racing Team that will casually open the second Round Robin of the Louis Vuitton Cup is the confrontation that has raised the most expectation and that in the end could be the most decisive to say which of the two teams goes to semi-finals. The rest, unless they have a serious problem, have almost in their hand the classification.

The one that comes with more clarity of ideas, by its navigation and numbers is Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli intractable in the first round, with four triumphs in the four trials contested in the face of the other challenges, while Alinghi Red Bull Racing is totally reverse, last, without having achieved any victory.

Tomorrow the second and final round of the Round Robins will begin, where there will be no room for error. This start will be marked with a crucial duel between Alinghi Red Bull Racing and Orient Express Racing Team. Both teams are the colists, but the French have the advantage with a victory in their locker, precisely to the Swiss in the first round. A second blow of Orient Express could be decisive, as reversing a difference of two wins would be a miracle.

2024-09-01: Louis Vuitton Cup: Italy many Italy

The Italian team has won all its rivals and Alinghi Red Bull Racing has lost them all

The Moon Rossa Prada Pirelli showed at the end of Round Robin 1 that it is the great favorite to revalidate the Louis Vuitton Cup, after reaching its equator as the strongest of the challenges by winning all the clashes

Leaving aside the Defense Emirates Team New Zealand, which participates but does not score, the Italian team has imposed on all the other ships in all the match, bringing four out of four. The last point was added this Sunday after surpassing Alinghi Red Bull Racing.

Meanwhile American Magic has also shown that he has been fighting from you to you with kiwis, Italians and British, but a step behind, as he could not win any of those who a priori are his rivals to fight for the American Cup, he only did it about Alinghi and Orient Express. Attention to the French who are going from less to more and all points to the fact that they will be the ones who dispute being or not being with the Swiss.

2024-08-31: Louis Vuitton Cup: British Ineos and Rossa Moon co-leaders

The Italian team dominates in solo and Alinghi Red Bull Racing closes the classification

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli has put the accelerator and in case anyone had any doubt, it was clear on the third day of the Louis Vuitton Cup: the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli is the great favorite and comes to the final day of the first Round Robin sharing leadership with the Britannia Ineos.

The transalpine team won on Saturday's day American Magic first and Ineos Britannia later. Who was returning to the action the Emirates Team New Zeland, although his presence is still testimonial, who won in his only match to Orient Express Racing Team who would not take the exit.

The one that does not raise head is Alinghi Red Bull Racing, which has many problems in the per- exits where it ends up losing the race by not flying and remains the red lantern with zero wins.

2024-08-30: Louis Vuitton Cup: only Americans and Swiss compete

American Magic is imposed on Alinghi Red Bull Racing and Britannia Ineos takes the exit without Team New Zealand on a day without wind

American Magic, after several postponements and very complex conditions due to the low intensity of the wind, achieved a victory over Alinghi Red Bull Racing in a day that became a true test of patience. With a wind of just 6 knots and a flat sea, the day was long and exhausting, allowing the dispute of only four of the six scheduled sections. The other confrontation that did take place between Emirates Team New Zealand and IneossS Britannia, it was already known that the kiwis would not show up, but the British had to leave and within a few minutes the Regatas Committee gave him the test for winning.

The match between Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli vs American Magic and Emirates Team New Zealand vs Orient Express Racing Team remained uncompetitive.

2024-08-29: Louis Vuitton Cup: ok the opening day in Barcelona's waters

Arab Team New Zealand, Ineos Britannia, Orient Express Racing Team and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli

Although the wind was about to destroy this historic day, it was finally possible to complete the four clashes planned and that leave three teams with one point, four if we count Emirates Team New Zealand that does not score in the face of the passage to semis. The others with one point are Orient Express Racing Team, Ineos Britannia and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli. Alinghi Red Bull Racing and American Magic remained unjoined.

Very important victory face to the end of round robinfor the Orient Express Racing on Alinghi Red Bull Racing on a decisive day in the fight for the fourth square that gives direct access to the semi-finals. For its part in another prominent confrontation, although there were no points at stake in the face of the transition to the semifinals, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli could not with the kiwis. Although those of Bruni and Spithill took over, the New Zealanders managed to get ahead of themselves half way, led by Burling and Outteridge, which allowed them to maintain control to the end. Despite the last effort of the Italians, the defeat was clear, leaving 3-0 in their particular history in Barcelona, taking into account the Preliminar.

A mistake of American Magic in the pre-departure where they lost the flight, was used by Ineos Britannia to get ahead of him and to get over the New York ship in more than a minute, once it regained stability. The race was quiet for those of Ben Ainslie until the last stern, who saw how those of Slingsby and Goodison began to recover land and were about to overcome them, entering only 14 seconds behind.

The final race was between Luna Rossa and Orient Express, where they could not afford any more misgivings. Although the French won the exit for seconds, the Italians were not surprised and achieved a clear victory, beating the Gauls for 1 minute and 24 seconds.