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Cup: Swedes could control Louis Vuitton Cup rankings  So
far, America's Cup Challenger of Record, BMW Oracle has dominated this
Louis Vuitton Cup, winning all its races and it would be a brave man who
did not tip USA 98 for a place in the final.I am tipping Luna Rossa to get second place in the rankings, with any of these three, Mascalzone Latino - Capitalia, Emirates Team New Zealand or Desafio Espanol, filling the other top four places. In my book, the team that has failed to fill its pre-Louis Vuitton hype is Team New Zealand, which is only holding on to second place on the leader board thanks to a bonus point from the ACTS. Today it meets Victory Challenge and BMW Oracle. I expect Chris Dixon's boys to win that encounter, so a lot will hang on the result of the first race against the Swedes. In fact, the Swedes are the team most likely to upset the top four placings, without getting into them themselves. They are steadily improving, but still inconsistent. Take yesterday, against Areva Challenge. The French handed them a penalty, set off like the hare against the tortoise and still managed to lose, after Victory Challenge has made a blinding final run and taken a penalty turn that any team would have been proud of. So Victory could beat the Kiwis, in their first match of today and they could win over Mascalzone Latino. I don't, actually, think they'll do either, but I'm not ruling it out. The other thing I'm not ruling out is Desafio beating BMW Oracle! Spain against the USA, on home ground, has the sort of giant killing potential that wins football matches. It's holiday time this weekend, in Valencia, so the town is going to be out in force, to cheer on their heroes and that counts for a lot. I think the boat has the speed needed, so if the lads keep their cool and bring out a full new set of sails, for the occasion, they could hand out the biggest upset of this Round Robin. One thing's for sure, this is the most exciting Louis Vuitton I can remember and the one that could produce the biggest surprise, since the lowly 6° Sens made the semis in Auckland. William Wallace / BYM News America's Cup pictures 04/27/07 |