BARCELONA (Reuters) - Britain and holders New Zealand go head-to-head on Saturday in the opening two races of a first-to-seven series to determine the winner of the America's Cup, with Ben Ainslie's British team in the final for the first time in 60 years.
In the battle for the "Auld Mug", which was first raced in 1851 and is billed as the oldest trophy in international sport, the adage is that "the fastest boat wins", with the two high-tech AC75 foiling monohulls set to be put to the test.
The 37th America's Cup is being contested in the Mediterranean off the Spanish city of Barcelona, where variable winds and unstable sea states in the qualifying events have made sailing conditions challenging.
It will pit British skipper Ainslie, the most successful Olympic sailor, and his younger co-helm Dylan Fletcher against the New Zealanders, who are skippered by double America's Cup winner Peter Burling and his co-helm Nathan Outteridge.
"The intrigue of the America's Cup is that you don't really know until you line up for the first start ... Two different looking boats, but probably going reasonably similar speeds and it will make for an awesome competition," Burling, 33, said during a pre-match press conference on Friday.
Ainslie's decade-long campaign to "bring the Cup home" has been backed by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe and they have worked closely with the Mercedes Formula One team to come up with a race-winning package and end "173 years of hurt".
"We've got a very proud sporting and maritime heritage, and the America's Cup is the one thing that has always been missing from our trophy cabinet," the 47-year-old said as the silverware was presented in Barcelona, along with a traditional Maori haka.
Britain battled their way to challenge New Zealand by beating Italy 7-4 in the Louis Vuitton Cup, with Ainslie's team showing improved speed and handling through the qualifying races as they tweaked both their boat and sailing technique.
New Zealand have been practising alone and also making changes, with team boss Grant Dalton saying he expected the AC75s to be "pretty equal" in speed, meaning whichever gets off the start fastest has a greater chance of controlling the race.
This time the organisers have also included the first America's Cup for women, with Britain and Italy qualifying on Friday for the inaugural final, also scheduled for Saturday.
Italy has already won the Youth America's Cup in the smaller AC40 boats that are being used for the women's event.
(Reporting by Alexander Smith; Editing by Toby Davis)
