Peter Burling and Emirates Team New Zealand: match point!

Peter Burling’s Emirates Team New Zealand started the day with a 2-1 lead in the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Challenger Playoff final over Nathan Outteridge and Artemis Racing.  

Two hours later, Burling was sitting on match point, holding a 4-2 lead and taking a stranglehold on the series. But it was far from easy, with the winning delta on the final race of the day of just one-second.

“We were really happy to walk away from the day 4-2 up,” Burling, the young Kiwi helmsman said. “To get our boat around the track in the way we did and to take those couple of wins, is full credit to the whole team, and what they’re willing to give to get the job done here. We probably gave everyone a heart attack at that last mark there… but the way the boys ground the board down it’s full credit to the bikes and the design we have to get the power to get it down and hold on to the lead.”

The first team to earn five points will advance to the America’s Cup Match against two-time defending champion ORACLE TEAM USA.