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Land Rover BAR wins in Japan
Land Rover BAR celebrate winning in Fukuoka, Japan
Land Rover BAR, the British challenge headed by Olympic medallist Sir Ben Ainslie, has won the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series with a first place finish at the final event in Fukuoka, Japan.
The team secured the title with a race to spare and with the win will earn two bonus points – 20% of the points available – for the next stage of the America’s Cup which is the qualifiers taking place in Bermuda in 2017.
ORACLE TEAM USA and skipper Jimmy Spithill pushed hard, finishing ahead of BAR in the first race of the day, but the British team sailed to a 4, 2, 3 scoreline, and into the overall series win.
“This has been a goal for us for the whole season and for this event. The guys have done an incredible job,” said Sir Ben. “For us as a new team it sends out a strong message for all our supporters that we can do it.”
He added: “Two and a half years ago we were a blank sheet back in Portsmouth in the UK and now, for our designers, our shore team and everyone back in the UK, it’s a real boost, so now we set our sights on Bermuda for the America’s Cup.”
With a second place finish on the overall leaderboard, ORACLE TEAM USA secured one bonus point for the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Qualifiers next year.
Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series – overall leaderboard
1. Land Rover BAR — 512
2. ORACLE TEAM USA — 493
3. Emirates Team New Zealand — 485
5. SoftBank Team Japan — 460
6. Groupama Team France — 419