Alinghi secures season championship with win in final race

VALENCIA, Spain (AP) - Defending America's Cup champion Alinghi won the Louis Vuitton Act 13 on Saturday after taking the final fleet race.

Alinghi overtook American entery BMW Oracle Racing on the second lap, securing the Swiss team's second championship with a fourth victory in seven races of Act 13.
Alinghi finished with 78 points, 14 more than two-time season winner Emirates Team New Zealand. Mascalzone Latino was the best of the three Italian syndicates, finishing third with 63 points after a third-place finish in the final fleet race.

BMW Oracle Racing finished fifth with 57 points - two less than Luna Rossa of Italy - after skipper Chris Dickson recovered from a disappointing sixth in the sixth race to lead the USA 87 yacht to second in the final race, its best finish since winning the opener of Act 13.

BMW Oracle Racing navigator Peter Isler was impressed with Alinghi's performance, but said the Swiss team was not unbeatable.

"They and Emirates Team New Zealand were a click above everyone else," the two-time America's Cup winner said. "Alinghi has always proven throughout the three years that they're one of the players and have the potential to win any given regatta. Their new boat seems really good and, so, Alinghi up near the top of the fleet in the fleet race is no surprise - it's where they've been all season."

Saturday's two fleet races were the last chance for the 11 challengers to race against Alinghi. From April 16-June 11, the challengers will sail against each other in a round-robin competition to determine who advances to race Alinghi in the America's Cup, from June 23 to July 4.

"It's true we dominated this Act 13 and for us to continue comparing our level to the other challengers is always a plus," Alinghi owner and afterguard Ernesto Bertarelli said.

In the sixth race, Spanish team Desafio Espanol won its first fleet race after overtaking Alinghi halfway through the first lap.

Also Saturday, the Challenger Commission - a panel comprising the 11 challengers - ruled it would not support an amendment to the America's Cup rules to allow +39 Challenger to use one of United Internet Team Germany's masts. A jury ruled the Germans were at fault for their collision in Wednesday's third fleet race.