Challenger Emirates Team New Zealand received a huge confidence boost here Sunday after trumping Swiss defender Alinghi to win the second race of the America's Cup and draw the best-of-nine series level at 1-1.
Team New Zealand crossed the line 28 seconds ahead of the Swiss boat in ideal race conditions off the coast of Valencia that saw windspeed steady at around 10 knots and none of the chop seen in Saturday's first race, waves measuring only a half a metre.
In an almost carbon copy start to the first race, Team New Zealand pulled out to an early 3sec lead, up to 16 metres, but again lost the advantage after being forced to tack off by the Swiss boat.
After just four-and-a-half minutes of the race, Alinghi had overtaken Team New Zealand and proceeded to build up a lead of up to 70 metres - or two boatlengths - and went through the first mark 19sec ahead.
The Swiss consolidated their lead, Kiwi skipper Brad Butterworth taking SUI 100 around the second mark 13sec in front on the second downwind lap. But the third leg saw Team New Zealand surge ahead of Alinghi after a poor tack during what appeared to be a windshift and Kiwi helsman Dean Barker made Alinghi pay, forcing them wide right and neatly bringing NZL 92 around the third mark 15sec ahead.
The Kiwis held on to the lead through to the finish line to ensure that this 32nd edition of the America's Cup will not end up as a whitewash, as was the case in the last three competitions in 1995, 2000 and 2003.
"We did a great job in the first half of the race but not in the second," said Butterworth. "It was a tough day. The other boat sailed well. It was hard to shake them off.
"The first beat we looked pretty powerful. The second beat they kind of rolled into us. "The team came into this knowing how we had a fight on our hands. Coming from behind as they did, they (Team New Zealand) did a good job.
"We should have pushed our tack a little closer on the last beat. They came in a pretty nice spot." It was Barker's first win over Butterworth and brought to an end the 16-match winning streak the latter has enjoyed in the America's Cup.
"I've lost a lot of (other) races since 1995, I'll get over it," said Butterworth, adding that the first-to-five series could now only hot up even more. "The boats are pretty even. You can see how close the racing is, it's not easy to win," said the Kiwi. "We would have loved to have won the race and probably sould have but it was not to be."