Auckland, NZ -- After some final sail testing this afternoon by Team Dennis Conner's sailing team, Stars & Stripes is ready to go
for tomorrow afternoon's match up with Japan's Nippon Challenge. Tomorrow's race, which is scheduled to begin at 1:05 p.m. New Zealand time, is the first race of the Semi-Final Round of the Louis
Vuitton Cup."We're ready," said Helmsman Ken Read as the boat performed some upwind and downwind sail testing this afternoon on New Zealand's Hauraki Gulf." The boat looks great and
our team is pumped up for this Round to begin. The changes we made to the boat seem just right."
Stars & Stripes is one of six boats that will be participating in the Semi-Final Round, the
other five are AmericaOne (USA), America True (USA), Nippon Challenge (Japan), Prada Challenge (Italy) and Le defi Francais (France.) All six syndicates will start the Semi-Final Round with zero points
and each race is worth one point. The two top teams at the end of the Round will advance to the Finals, which are scheduled to begin on January 20, 2000.
ESPN's coverage of the Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Finals is as follows:
January 2, 3, 4 & 5, 12:30am, EST - Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Finals (tape delayed) on ESPN2.
January 6, 1:30am, EST - Louis Vuitton
Cup Semi-Finals (tape delayed) on ESPN2.
January 7, 12:30am, EST - Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Finals (tape delayed) on ESPN2.
January 8, 1:00am, EST - Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Finals (tape delayed) on ESPN2.
January 9, 10 & 11, 12:30am, EST - Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Finals (tape delayed) on ESPN2.
* All times and dates are United States - Eastern Standard Time.
The Semi-Final Racing Schedule is as follows:
Race #1:
STARS & STRIPES vs. Nippon Challenge
Prada Challenge vs. America True
Le defi Francais vs. AmericaOne
Race #2:
STARS & STRIPES vs. Prada Challenge
America True vs. AmericaOne
Nippon Challenge vs. Le defi Francais
Race #3:
STARS & STRIPES vs. Le defi Francais
America True vs. Nippon Challenge
Prada Challenge vs. AmericaOne
Race #4:
STARS & STRIPES vs. America True
AmericaOne vs. Nippon Challenge
Prada Challenge vs. Le defi Francais
Race #5:
STARS & STRIPES vs. AmericaOne
Prada Challenge vs. Nippon Challenge
Le defi Francais vs. America True
Race #6:
STARS & STRIPES vs. Nippon Challenge
Prada Challenge vs. America True
Le defi Francais vs. AmericaOne
Race #7:
STARS & STRIPES vs. Prada Challenge
America True vs. AmericaOne
Nippon Challenge vs. Le defi Francais
Race #8:
STARS & STRIPES vs. Le defi Francais
America True vs. Nippon Challenge
Prada Challenge vs. AmericaOne
Race #9:
STARS & STRIPES vs. America True
AmericaOne vs. Nippon Challenge
Prada Challenge vs. Le defi Francais
Race #10:
STARS & STRIPES vs. AmericaOne
Prada Challenge vs. Nippon Challenge
Le defi Francais vs. America True
For more information contact:
Veronica Cahill
Media Relations
Team Dennis Conner
Sailing Compound: 64-09-9799-700
Mobile Phone: 029-99-2013
