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Alinghi hoping for unfocused Prada
AUCKLAND, New Zealand (CNN) -- Swiss team Alinghi are hoping Italian rival Prada will have a tough time concentrating with a changed boat when they meet in the quarterfinal. Alinghi ended two round robins as the top of the eight challenger syndicates, vying for the chance to race Team New Zealand for the America's Cup in February. It earned the right to choose which team it raced in the quarterfinal, picking Prada, ranked fourth, ahead of OneWorld and Oracle BMW Racing. "Essentially we have two reasons for choosing Prada. Firstly, we want to get an early indication of the changes made to their boat and secondly we chose to face a team in the process of change," said Alinghi executive director Michel Bonnefous. "We all know it is difficult to change a boat and to be focused on the water." Alinghi skipper Russell Coutts said: "In changing a boat as [Prada] are, there is a limit on the time available for testing and you are more reliant on the weather during the testing period between racing." The quarterfinals begin on November 12. "Concentrating on one aspect of development also means less time spent on other aspects of the programme. Obviously choosing a team capable of great change is also a risk for us and in terms of resources, Prada are capable of carrying out their changes well," Coutts said. Alinghi was contemplating altering its boat during the rest period, he added. Bonnefous said the team's early success did not guarantee later victory. "We've proved to ourselves that we have two highly competitive boats, that our equipment is up to standard and that our whole team is well managed and organised. "What does that prove for later on? Probably not much, because now the event really starts," Bonnefous said. His views were echoed by Coutts, twice winner of the America's Cup for Team New Zealand. "The challengers have been sailing against each other and getting to know each other and there's a lot of improvement left in many of the teams. "For the quarterfinals we're coming to more intense racing and more even matches." He said he hoped the boats would be racing in stronger winds than during the round robins, held in October. "Quite honestly as a sailing challenge and as a spectacle there's nothing like racing these boats in stronger winds." Alinghi will focus on its pre-start tactics and speed before the quarterfinals. It will decide next week which boat to sail, Coutts said.
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