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OneWorld defeats Team New Zealand

Team New Zealand, right, and OneWorld

AUCKLAND, New Zealand -- Seattle's OneWorld has inflicted the first ever defeat on Americas Cup-holder Team New Zealand in an international regatta on Auckland's Hauraki Gulf.

OneWorld's USA-55, steered by Australian Peter Gilmour, won the Cup warm-up race on Friday by one minute 45 seconds after getting off to a bad start.

The American yacht tried slipping between Team New Zealand's NZL-60 and the committee boat just as the start gun was sound and was ordered to complete a penalty turn -- allowing the Cup defender to forge ahead.

OneWorld quickly made up ground and was only seven seconds behind at the first mark. New Zealand extended its lead to 30 seconds at the second mark but sailed into a lull on the second beat and the American yacht slipped past.

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Team New Zealand showed the value of its match racing experience on Thursday when it scored two clear wins on the third day of the races on the Hauraki Gulf.

The Cup defenders beat the Great Britain Challenge by 2 minutes, six seconds in the last race of the first round-robin and Sweden's Victory Challenge by 1 minute, four seconds in the first race of the second round.

Team New Zealand has qualified for the final of the Road to the America's Cup regatta and OneWorld will sail against the Victory Challenge on Saturday to determine the other finalist.

Qualifying races for the America's Cup tournament begin in October with the head-to-head battle for yachting's most prestigious prize scheduled for early next year.