The format of the Marseille Louis Vuitton Act promises to create a spectacle of exciting, dynamic racing, giving the Teams every opportunity to stretch their skills, as well as a stage on which to perform.
The Marseille Louis Vuitton Act will consist of a mix of both Fleet and Match Racing competition, and the winner will be the most consistent performer across both disciplines.
Act 1 will open with fleet racing, a return to the format of the first race in 1851 when America bested the British fleet around the Isle of Wight, a format not used since 1870.
Although the teams won't be racing around any islands, there will be some twists to what is currently thought of as a typical America's Cup race course.
The Fleet Races will be sailed on a traditional windward - leeward course. Unlike typical America's Cup racing, the weather mark will be rounded to port.
At the bottom of the course, there will be a leeward gate, so that teams pass through the gate choosing to round one of two leeward marks, allowing a trailing boat to gain immediate separation, and perhaps a passing opportunity, potentially opening up the race again.
At the conclusion of the fleet racing, the teams will be ranked, and their first opponents for the match racing will be assigned. Each team will then race every other team once, scoring one point for each victory.
The Match Race course will be similar to that used for the fleet racing, maintaining the gate to leeward, although for the match racing, as is traditionally the case, the weather mark will be left to starboard.
At the conclusion of the Round Robin, the teams will be ranked for the match racing portion of the event, according to the number of points won.
The overall winner of Act 1 of the 32nd America's Cup will be determined through weighting of the Fleet Race ranking and the Match Race ranking. In the case of a tie, the winner will be determined by the head to head result when the two teams in question met in the Match Race.
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