Rounds 3 and 4 of the qualifying rounds of the challengers were planned for the coming weekend. Each of the three teams should sail twice against each other. It won't happen like that.
The spectacular capsizing of American Magic and the damage it caused force the team to take a break of at least ten days for repairs. It cannot take part in the elimination for the time being.
The new race schedule that has now been published provides that the two remaining challengers Ineos Team UK and LunRoss will compete against each other once on Saturday and Sunday; Start is at 4:00 p.m. New Zealand time and 4:00 a.m. German time. After each of these races there should be two "ghost races" against American Magic, in which Ineos and LunRoss only have to start without an opponent, so that the race director can then cancel the respective race and score it for the team.
Ineos Team UK already had four wins last weekend and only needs one win against LunRossa to make it straight to the final of the challengers and thus secure a three-week break from racing and time to improve the boat. If this victory is achieved in the first encounter, both teams are free to sail the remaining race.
The two losing teams of these preliminary rounds, in this scenario LunRoss and American Magic, will then contest the semi-finals of the challengers from January 29th to February 2nd. Whoever records four wins there first is the second participant in the finals.
All races are broadcast live free of charge and are on the Cup website, on Youtube as Facebook to pursue. No extra app is required for mobile devices. The reps will be made available on these channels immediately after the end of each race. The free-to-air Austrian TV channel Servus TV also broadcasts the races live in the program and in the stream.