Louis Vuitton Cup Update

Four flights of racing remain in Round Robin Two of the Louis Vuitton Cup and for seven of the challengers these will be the last races that they sail. Only the top four advance to the Semi Finals. Mascalzone Latino's pre-start manoeuvring on flight 8 has been exemplary in the Louis Vuitton Cup, but on this occasion Shosholoza helmsman Paolo Cian managed to get a penalty against his rival compatriots. When Shosholoza fluffed a gybe down the final run, the Italians sped away to a 150-metre lead. But the South Africans scraped past the downspeed Italians for a 6-second win. Every match from now on is a must-win if Victory Challenge is going to topple Desafio Espanol from a Semi Final berth.

Three teams are now secure in their position on the leaderboard at the Louis Vuitton Cup. On Saturday, BMW ORACLE Racing and Luna Rossa Challenge earned enough points to ensure the fifth place team couldn't overhaul them. With its win on Sunday, Emirates Team New Zealand did the same. The fourth and final Semi Final spot is currently occupied by Desafio Espanol 2007, who earned a great win in front of a large weekend spectator fleet on Sunday. The Spanish have won six of their seven Round Robin Two matches to build a five point cushion over Victory Challenge. The Swedish team has three matches left, with six points available. If the Swedes lose one more race, or the Spanish team earns another victory, Desafio Espanol will have the coveted Semi Final berth. That doesn't mean the remaining matches for the top teams are meaningless. Just two points separate first from third and the top finisher has the right to choose its opponent for the head to head Semi Final portion of the Louis Vuitton Cup.