Team New Zealand Win Louis Vuitton Cup

Emirates Team New Zealand has won the Louis Vuitton Cup for the second consecutive time, making Team New Zealand the official challenger to Oracle Team USA in the America’s Cup challenge this September. Team New Zealand won the Louis Vuitton challenger series 7:1 over Italy’s Luna Rossa Challenge.

“To race for the America’s Cup you have to win the Louis Vuitton Cup,” said Emirates Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker. “We’ve definitely come here to win the America’s Cup, so winning the Louis Vuitton Cup is all part of the preparation. The guys are extremely focused. We came short in Valencia in 2007 and we’ll give it our all now in the next few weeks to make sure we’re as ready as can be.”

While the New Zealand team are celebrating, they know the real challenge lays ahead.

“We’ll have a party tonight and then we’ll just be in for a mellow few days off before we build-up for the Cup,” the team’s tactician Ray Davies to the New Zealand Herald.

Luna Rossa have agreed to stay on in San Francisco and work with Team New Zealand in preparation for the America’s Cup.