Today, Thursday 22 August, exactly 173 years after the victory of the schooner America around the Isle of Wight, the 37th edition of the trophy that bears his name: the‘America’s Cup 2024. On the same day, the Final Preliminary Regatta begins, the third and final regatta in the lead-up to the America’s Cup, after those of Vilanova i La Geltrú (14 – 17 September 2023) and Jeddah (29 November – 2 December 2023).
Although it does not award points for the Louis Vuitton Cup, this event is very important for the teams that, for the first time, will race aboard the AC75s and no longer on the AC40s as happened in the previous Preliminaries. Furthermore, unlike Vilanova i La Geltrú and Jeddah, the races will be exclusively Match Race and there will be no more fleet races.
The five Challengers Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, Ineos Britannia, NYYC American Magic, Alinghi Red Bull Racing and Orient Express Racing Team, plus the Defender Emirates Team New Zealand, are taking part in the Preliminary Regatta in Barcelona. The event that begins today includes four days of match racing. The first two teams classified will access the final regatta on the fourth and final day, which will decide the winner of the event. The races start each day no earlier than 2:00 p.m. and will last 2 or 3 hours, depending on the program and weather conditions.