America's Cup: Team New Zealand Dominates Preliminary Regatta

America's Cup Highlights

Team New Zealand is top of the America's Cup preliminary regatta standings after two victories off Barcelona.

Peter Burling's crew have actually had just one race so far, beating the British entry on Saturday (NZ time).

On Friday, their opponent Luna Rossa retired with a technical issue just after the start, while another race saw the French outfit unable to even make the start line due to similar issues.

Currently, Team New Zealand has three points, Luna Rossa and American Magic have two points, Alinghi has one point, and Britannia and France have none.

Key Performances by Team New Zealand

The defenders were aggressive right from the start against Britannia. The Kiwis tied the British up at the pre-start, forcing them off their foils during the final approaches to the start line. The result was a dominant 52-second victory.

In their second scheduled race against Orient Express Racing Team (France), the French had to retreat before the start due to a "major issue" with their boat.

Blair Tuke, Team New Zealand flight controller, expressed satisfaction but emphasized the importance of the overall series. He noted the need to extract maximum performance from each race, as they focus on becoming battle-hardened.

• Outstanding performance by Team NZ
• Technical difficulties faced by competitors
• Strengthened lead in America's Cup standings

Team New Zealand is set to face Alinghi and American Magic on Sunday (NZ time), heightening the excitement for fans.