Louis Vuitton Cup, still tied (4-4) between Luna Rossa and Ineos Britannia

“Everything is in balance above the madness”, sings Vasco Rossi. And, to paraphrase the Emilian singer-songwriter, in Barcelona, ​​in the final of the Louis Vuitton Cup, everything is in balance above the foils. After the seventh and eighth regatta of the Luna Rossa Prada series, Pirelli and Ineos Britannia are at 4-4. Today, in Catalan waters, another knockout and another success were recorded for the AC75 with the banner of the Circolo della Vela Sicilia.

In the first match race (the seventh of this final) there was little story. After a practically equal first side (of the eight total of today’s matches), at the first turning point the Italian team, with the Palermo native Francesco Bruni and the Australian Jimmy Spithill at the helm, “paid” dearly for a technical problem with the system which regulates the flight of the boat. Luna Rossa then got off the foils and remained still in the sea.

In contrast, Ineos Britannia, owned by team principal Ben Ainslie, continued to sail “calmly” towards the finish line. After about a quarter of an hour, the Italians raised the white flag and retreated while their opponents had already reached the halfway point of the fifth side.

At 4-3 for the English, there were tense phases on board the Prada and Pirelli branded boat, even if Bruni always showed off confidence, reassuring everyone about the presence of the Italians at the start of the eighth round. In about half an hour the shore team, with the skipper and director Max Sirena in the front row, repaired the boat and Luna Rossa set off again with momentum. The Italian team then managed to respond to Ineos once again, winning the second challenge of the day and bringing the series back to a draw.

The Prada and Pirelli-branded boat had an excellent start; On the other hand, the English did poorly, also incurring a penalty, served on the first leg of the match race. From then on, Luna Rossa dominated the challenge, marking and controlling their opponents from a distance until the finish line. Satisfaction therefore on board Luna Rossa; on the ground, however, the various reliability problems recorded in recent days have triggered more than one alarm. The dream of Luna Rossa and of all Italian fans, despite some setbacks, continues.

Two more match races are scheduled for tomorrow, the ninth and tenth of the match. Subsequently, after a day of rest, the two boats should return to sea on Friday (scheduled for the eleventh and possible twelfth act) and possibly Saturday (date of the possible and decisive thirteenth match race). You need to win seven rounds to get a pass for the 37th America’s Cup, where the defender, Emirates Team New Zealand, awaits the winning boat.