A new wind direction and a stronger sea on the fourth and final day of the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta in Barcelona suggested different results, but in the end the predictable pattern of the race remained the same: win the start, control cover, maintain flight and all will be well.

And so the first game of the day went, when the American Magic of the New York YC took on the defending champion Emirates Team New Zealand. Whatever the rudder breakage, the patriot The land team had solved the problem of the slow return from the previous day and the American team immediately started an aggressive pre-start with the New Zealanders.

The Kiwis let the Americans take control of the match in the final seconds of the start, and after both boats dived to restart, American Magic had the leeward position, holding it high and forcing Taihoro to tack. A wind shift put an end to the New Zealanders, and for the first time all regatta they were in the hunt. But American Magic’s breakaway attempt on that first leg was too strong even for the defender, and the Americans took a point and a positive end to their campaign.

“Today was a great milestone for the team,” said the CEO and President of Sailing Operations after the race. “It gives optimism and gives the whole team confidence in what we have accomplished over the last 22 months. The races we ran well show the strengths, and the races we ran poorly show the mistakes and weaknesses of our program. We must continue to learn and get better and improve.”

After the defending champion finally proved himself at least beatable, the race moved on to the next duel: Alinghi Red Bull Racing and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli. The Italians were undefeated in the races they sailed (the only one they lost at the start of the series was due to a system error on board the AC75 that prevented them from racing).

In the most exciting duel of the regatta, the Alinghi Red Bull Racing helmsman pair took the opportunity to demonstrate the maneuverability of their AC75, steering the start with the characteristically aggressive Jimmy Spithill and Francesco Bruni. Alinghi got the start perfectly and the Italians had to turn around and restart across the finish line. When the two boats met on the course, Alinghi Red Bull Racing were comfortably in the lead and seemed to be pulling away until a bad gybe on the downwind leg brought them back down to earth. The Italians were given free rein and dominated the race from then on. Alinghi Red Bull Racing’s boat-handling slip-up reinforced the AC75 race’s winning formula: win the start, foil every corner and finish the race with every part of the boat intact. However, as complex as the boats are, priorities are easier said than done.

“We lost the rudder from the gybe,” explained Arnaud Psarofaghis, skipper of Alinghi Red Bull Racing, after the race. “We don’t really know what happened because after that the boat worked pretty well again. We have to check the data but maybe we pushed a bit too hard there. It was a great battle with Luna Rossa. We kept trying to push them away but they kept coming back. It was a tough race and the guys on the bikes did a really good job because we really pushed on the power consumption today.”

INEOS Britannia and Orient Express Racing Team were next on the stage and while this should have been an easy task for Sir Ben Ainslie and Dylan Fletcher at the wheel, they made it that much harder with a botched start that saw them cross the line early and all alone, dive to restart but fail to get free, and then dive again to restart properly. With a clean start they would have been long gone but the French chased them hard around the track before the Brits had settled enough to go the distance and end the series with a win.

The top two teams, Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, met in the final, the first time an AC75 team had done so since they went head-to-head in Auckland at the 36th America’s Cup. The top two teams and four of the best helmsmen in the race went head-to-head and the pre-start was a real fireworks display with both teams displaying high-speed maneuvers. Luna Rossa incurred a narrow penalty when the port and starboard boats raced past each other, but they quickly recovered by turning off the line.

Luna Rossa were in control on the first leg, giving Emirates Team New Zealand every chance, and once they were in front, the New Zealanders got their revenge. The fast-paced battle saw the Italians pick up another penalty, and once the New Zealanders were in front, they had complete control of the race.

Winners of the last preliminary regatta, Emirates Team New Zealand have confirmed their dominance of the regatta and the America’s Cup, showing just how fast and agile they are with their AC75. They will soon be leaving the Challenger Games and watching from the sidelines as they refine their own platform and playbook, and can’t wait to get back in the ring on October 12.