Ben Ainslie is bidding to inspire a first British victory in the 173-year history of the America’s Cup, but Emirates New Zealand are in pole position to defender their crown.
It is 60 years since a British boat even raced for the America’s Cup, which is one of the world’s oldest surviving sporting competitions and began on the waters around the Isle of Wight in 1851.
Ineos Britannia made the worst possible start to their challenge against New Zealand after going down 3-0 down in the best-of-13 series.
Their skipper Ainslie and his team need to find a way to catch up.
Here’s everything you need to know…
America’s Cup 2024: How it works
The America’s Cup began in 1851 and sees two teams square off in a best-of-13 format. A team wins the competition when they reach seven victories.
Every race is split into six legs. The two teams race upwind on the opening leg before sailing downwind on the second, repeating that process until all six legs are complete. The team who have won the most legs will claim a point towards their target of seven.
The waters of Port Olimpic in Barcelona host this year’s America’s Cup. It is a 3.2km course and boasts must stay within a 0.9km width restriction. A penalty is issued to a team that goes too far.
Ben Ainslie is attempting to win the America’s Cup for Britain
REUTERS
America’s Cup 2024: Race schedule and results
(Races scheduled for 1pm BST and subject to weather conditions)
Saturday, October 12: Race 1 (New Zealand win), Race 2 (New Zealand win)
Sunday, October 13: Race 3 (New Zealand win)
Monday, October 14: Race 4
Tuesday, October 15: No racing scheduled
Wednesday, October 16: Race 5, Race 6
Thursday, October 17: Reserve day if required
Friday, October 18: Race 7, Race 8 if required
Saturday, October 19: Race 9 if required, Race 10 if required
Sunday, October 20: Race 11 if required, Race 12 if required
Monday, October 21: Race 13 if required
Tuesday, October 22 –Sunday, October 27: Reserve days if required
America’s Cup 2024: How to watch FOR FREE
TV channel: In the UK, the competition will be shown on TNT Sports .
Live stream: Subscribers to TNT Sports will be able to watch via the Discovery+ app, while it is also being shown on YouTube and on the America’s Cup website
