Team NZ 1 up in Louis Vuitton final

Mar 20, 2010 - 9:37 AM AUCKLAND, New Zealand(AP) -- Team New Zealand beat Mascalzone Latino of Italy by 12 seconds Saturday to take a 1-0 lead in their best-of-five race final at the Louis Vuitton Trophy sailing regatta for America's Cup teams.

The New Zealanders established a lead on the first beat which endured for most of the race, although the Italians, skippered by New Zealand-born Gavin Brady, closed and almost headed their rivals after two of four legs.

The remaining races of the series are scheduled to be sailed Sunday.

Earlier Saturday, Team New Zealand rallied for a 2-1 win over Italy's Azzurra in their best-of-three semifinal.

Azzurra won the first race on Friday by 18 seconds and New Zealand squared the series in a thrilling second race which it won by an official margin of one second. In the deciding race Saturday, Team New Zealand gained the lead on the first beat and held it to win by 27 seconds.

"Its always a sense of relief to get to the final," Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker said. "The semis are quite often the ones where there's more on the line. When you're in the final it's the best of five and we've now got an opportunity to really sail well."

Azzurra, skippered by Francesco Bruni, went on to win the one-race petit final against Artemis of Sweden which decided third place at the regatta. Artemis, skippered by American Paul Cayard, incurred two penalties during the race and was convincingly beaten.

Bruni, who skippered the Azzurra team, said his crew had regrouped well after the disappointment of its semifinal loss to New Zealand.

"Yesterday was tough to digest losing by one second, or one meter. It was very close. But I think it's all part of the excitement," he said. "I think Azzurra just confirmed we are a top-level team."

The Louis Vuitton regatta provides racing for America's Cup teams locked out of the latest Cup regatta between the American syndicate Oracle and Switzerland's Alinghi.

Oracle beat Alinghi 2-0 in a best-of-three series off Valencia, Spain in February and will defend the America's Cup in 2013.