SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Emirates Team New Zealand won Race 3 of the America’s Cup, rebounding from a penalty at the first mark and overtaking winless defending champion Oracle Team USA on the windward third leg.
Team New Zealand’s 72-foot catamaran reeled in the American syndicate during a tacking duel sailing upwind toward the fog-shrouded Golden Gate Bridge on Sunday. The Kiwis sailed into the lead about halfway up the leg.
The Kiwis need to win six more races to claim the oldest trophy in international sports for the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.
Oracle Team USA, owned by software billionaire Larry Ellison of Oracle Corp., needs to win 11 races to retain the Auld Mug. Oracle was docked two points by an international jury in the biggest cheating scandal in the regatta’s 162-year history.
Race 4 starts later in the afternoon.
