The big match

Big guns go head to head on day three of Act Six in Malmo

Flight 5
Match 1	BMW ORACLE Racing	Alinghi
Match 2	+39 Challenge	Victory Challenge
Match 3	K-Challenge	Team Shosholoza
Match 4	Emirates Team New Zealand	Luna Rossa Challenge
Match 5	United Internet Team Germany	Mascalzone Latino - Capitalia Team
Match 6	Desafío Español 2007	China Team
Flight 6
Match 1	Team Shosholoza	Emirates Team New Zealand
Match 2	Luna Rossa Challenge	K-Challenge
Match 3	+39 Challenge	Mascalzone Latino - Capitalia Team
Match 4	BMW ORACLE Racing	United Internet Team Germany
Match 5	Alinghi	Desafío Español 2007
Match 6	Victory Challenge	China Team

Flight 5

Today for the first time we will see the big guns go head to head with BMW Oracle Racing lining up against Alinghi and Emirates Team NZ against Luna Rossa. Conditions are idea with around 14 knots of breeze.

BMW Oracle Racing v Alinghi - AC Challenger of Record versus the AC defender. After a relatively benign start the two boats head up the beat side by side. Eventually Schuemann at the helm of Alinghi engages luffing Dickson at the helm of BMW Oracle and the American team tacks away. No one has a clear advantage half way up the beat. At the top mark Alinghi are just 14 seconds ahead. The Swiss lead around the bottom mark and on the second beat, BMW Oracle suffer a problem with their headsail, causing them to drop it. Unclear at present what the problem was. They trail Alinghi round the top mark by 1:28 and are a similar amount behind still at the finish.

Emirates Team New Zealand versus Luna Rossa. Again there was a very even start in the match with the Kiwis on the left side. This seems to benefit them and the men in black move ahead slightly. The Kiwis lead around the top mark by 16 seconds and make a one second gain on the run. Both boats head out to the right on the beat, Emirates Team NZ holding a 90m lead. The Kiwis are 27 seconds ahead at the top mark and go on to win comfortably by 30 seconds, Luna Rossa looking decidedly average in terms of their boat speed.

+39 v Victory Challenge. After a dreadful day on the race course yesterday the local heroes on Victory Challenge are keen to make amends. After an initial hitch to the right with some separation, both boats tack on to starboard. Heading out to the port layline +39 pull out a 70m advantage over the Swedes. At the bottom mark +39 and Victory Challenge round different marks the two boats split tacks with the Italians heading out to the right. The Swedes tack back to the right - the boats at this stage are neck and neck. This is the closest match on the race course today... Close to the top of the second beat +39 are just ahead, the Swedes taking their transom. +39 ahead at the second weather mark rounding by 14 seconds. Victory Challenge come close to getting an overall from +39 but Holmberg is surprisingly not showing his normal aggressive self on the water. Finally Holmberg has the bit between his teeth and he is now stealing +39's air. Critical final gybe coming up.... The Italians don't do the best gybe but maintain the lead to finish just 14 seconds ahead.

K-Challenge v Team Shosholoza - Chris Law at the helm of the South African boat putting in another aggressive performance in the pre-start, but picks up a penalty for his efforts against his rival Thierry Peponnet, the South Africans failing to response quickly enough to a luff. After a tacking duel both boats head off to the left, the French team having a 75m advantage. Law continues to engage... K-Challenge leads around the top mark by 23 seconds and once the South Africans have carried out their penalty turn the French win by 1:24 seconds.

Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team v United Internet Team Germany - the Germans are not racing. Yesterday crewman Christian Buck was injured when he lost his footing while up the mast as the boat went over a wave. Buck was thrown against the jumper which broke. Clearly injured badly Buck was taken off the boat and taken to hospital in Lund. Last night he was said to be in a stable condition. It is believed this is why the team are not racing today.

China Team v Desafio Espanol - the Spanish get the advantage and extend up the beat to round the top mark 27 seconds ahead. Not much of a match here... The Spanish win by 55 seconds.

Thus at the end of five flights Alinghi and Emirates are the only unbeaten teams. Desafio Espanol have won three relatively easy points so far

Results after five flights:

Alinghi - 5
Emirates Team New Zealand - 5
Luna Rossa - 4
BMW ORACLE Racing - 4
Desafío Español 2007 - 3
+39 Challenge - 2
Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team - 2
Victory Challenge - 1
K-Challenge - 1
Team Shosholoza - 1
United Internet Team Germany - 0
China Team - 0


Flight 6

Flight 6
Match 1	Team Shosholoza	Emirates Team New Zealand
Match 2	Luna Rossa Challenge	K-Challenge
Match 3	+39 Challenge	Mascalzone Latino - Capitalia Team
Match 4	BMW ORACLE Racing	United Internet Team Germany
Match 5	Alinghi	Desafío Español 2007
Match 6	Victory Challenge	China Team

Today's second flights should prove relatively routine for Emirates Team New Zealand against Team Shosholoza - although Dean Barker at the helm of the Kiwi boat will have deal with a Chris Law in dogmatic mood driving the South African boat. BMW Oracle Racing may not have to race the Germans, who didn't show up for their race against Mascalzone Latino in flight 5, handing the Italians an easy point. Again Alinghi seem to be on fire and should be able to despatch the Spanish as should Victory Challenge the Chinese, the local team getting another much needed additional point on the board. The closest match is likely to be the 'spagetti showdown' between +39 and Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team.

8-10 knots of breeze from the southwest (ie less than in flight 5)

Alinghi v Desafio Espagnol. Incredibly Karol Jablonski at the helm of the Spanish boat gets his match racing head on and gets the upper hand in the prestart. Both boats head out to the right, the Spanish in the lead.... Both boats tack... neck and neck. Both boats head out to the right and come back again. Alinghi seems to simply outpace the Spanish. 3/4s of the way up the beat Alinghi are around 2-3 boat lengths ahead. Alinghi lead around the top mark by 26 seconds. Half way down the run Alinghi are 145m ahead.

On the north course in the Emirates Team NZ v Shosholoza match, again Law carries out an aggressive pre-start. Both boats head off to the right, the Kiwis pulling slowly ahead. The two boats bounce their way up the middle of the beat the Kiwis on the left, continually pulling slowly ahead. The Kiwis round 30 seconds ahead and from here the South Africans don't get a look in, finishing 1:21 ahead.

Magnus Holmberg is now having a good time. China Team put Victory Challenge into a dial up from which the Swedes are slow to recover. The Chinese gain a much better start and are now a could of boat lengths ahead both boats heading off to the left side. Both tack after the port layline, the Swedes on the inside, the Chinese having overstood slightly. Half way up the beat, the Swedes are 50m ahead. They round 41 seconds before the Chinese..

Luna Rossa v K-Challenge is very close both heading out to the left. One third of the way up the first beat the French are leading the Italians by about a boat length. Both boats head towards the left side and a lot of short tacking if going on. Having taked inside the Italians at the layline, K-Challenge is still ahead by 36m. Peponnet and his boys and girls leads the Italian favourites by 17 seconds. Oh dear, James Spithill! Luna Rossa appears to have better speed downwind and are blanketing K-Challenge. To respond Peponnet attempts to luff them and for a while both boats are reaching. Prada manages to roll past them. The Italians head for the right hand leeward mark. K-Challenge follow them, 13 seconds behind and tack away from the Italians on to port. Luna Rossa cover. The two boats are into a tacking duel, bouncing their way up the course. Then they split, Luna Rossa going left.

Spagetti showdown - very aggressive pre-start, +39 fully in the hunt, both boats diving deep behind the Committee boat. Mascalzone are heading for the committee boat, +39 is looking in really good shape and may even be able to lock Mascalzone out at the boat. Both head over the middle of the line on starboard, Mascalzone pops back onto port, +39 follows. This will be close... The two boats bounce their way up the centre of the beat, Percy ahead and on the left with a 40m advantage. Mascalzone is pulling up slowly...Two thirds of the way up the beat the two boats are neck and neck. Mascalzone have sailed underneath +39 and are now half a boat length ahead. Mascalzone sneak by rounding 10 seconds ahead. At the leeward mark Mascalzone drop the spinnaker in the water bringing the boat to a near halt. +39 slipped by but not without picking up a penalty. The Umpires think +39's spinnaker sheet touched the mark at the gate. Iain Percy at the helm of +39 continues to lead up the beat and sheds his penalty. +39 lead down the final run. They finish 0:50 ahead.


Luna Rossa Challenge (ITA 74) beat K-Challenge (FRA 60), delta 0:21
BMW ORACLE Racing (USA 76) won, United Internet Team Germany (GER 72) DNS
Alinghi (SUI 75) beat Desafío Español 2007 (ESP 67), delta 1:01
Victory Challenge (SWE 73) beat China Team (CHN 69), delta 1:28

Malmö-Skåne Louis Vuitton Act 6 Points Leaderboard
Team Points
Alinghi 6
Emirates Team New Zealand 6
BMW ORACLE Racing 5
Luna Rossa 5
Desafío Español 2007 3
+39 Challenge 3
K-Challenge 2
Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team 2
Victory Challenge 2
Team Shosholoza 1
United Internet Team Germany 1
China Team 0