The final act of the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series was held in Fukuoka, Japan this weekend, November 19-20, 2016. The Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series began in July 2015 in Portsmouth and has just finished in the land of the Rising Sun after 40 races over nine acts.
And after two days of racing, it was the British challenge - Land Rover-BAR - led by Olympic legend Ben Ainslie, who won the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series, thanks to his first place in the Japanese event.
Victory for Land Rover-BAR
The English team sailed remarkably well, without losing any regattas. The English team has sailed remarkably well without losing a single regatta next stage of the America's Cup (Louis Vuitton America's Cup Qualifiers.)
Oracle Team USA - current Defender - led by skipper Jimmy Spithill, had a great race, finishing ahead of BAR in the first race of the day. But Ben Ainslie managed to maintain his advantage with a score of 4.3, 2 and a final victory.
"This is an incredible day of racing for our team, Land Rover-BAR! We finish in the lead here in Fukuoka, Japan, in the last race of the series, and we win the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series! That was our goal and achieving it is really special for us. We are a completely new team! Two and a half years ago we were just a blank sheet in Portsmouth, UK and now, for our designers, our shore team and everyone in the UK, it's a real boost. Next step is to keep our focus on Bermuda for the America's Cup" said Ainslie from the water after the second race of the day.
With a second place finish overall, ORACLE TEAM USA has earned a bonus point for the Louis Vuitton America's Cup Qualifications, which will take place in May 2017 in Bermuda.
A final place for Groupama Team France
The end of this first phase of the 35th America's Cup crowns the British team as the winner and the French team as the last in the ranking. However, Groupama Team France has been able to acquire valuable experience which has enabled it to make progress, particularly on the start phases and flight control.
On the competitors' side, the general level has inevitably risen over the course of the confrontations with perhaps an advantage for the English, who appear very complete: good speed, good choice of strategic placements and few false notes.
Ranking in Fukuoka
| Land Rover BAR | 75 | Land Rover BAR | 512 | |
| Artemis Racing | 75 | ORACLE TEAM USA | 493 | |
| ORACLE TEAM USA | 70 | Emirates Team New Zealand | 484 | |
| Emirates Team New Zealand | 65 | Artemis Racing | 466 | |
| SoftBank Team Japan | 61 | SoftBank Team Japan | 460 | |
| Groupama Team France | 59 | Groupama Team France | 419 |
