Britain Closes In On America's Cup Challenge

Britain is close to becoming the challenger for the America's Cup, leading Italy 6-4 in the first-to-seven Louis Vuitton Cup series. In challenging sea conditions, the British team secured two wins, with co-helm Ben Ainslie emphasizing the difficulty of sailing in such waves. Racing resumes Friday.

Britain is edging closer to securing its spot as the challenger for the America's Cup, leading Italy 6-4 in the best-of-seven Louis Vuitton Cup series. The British team clinched two crucial victories under tough sea conditions on Wednesday, where the AC75 'foiling' boats faced challenging waves and high speeds.

"It's bloody hard to sail these boats in these waves," remarked British co-helm Ben Ainslie after the second win secured Britain a 6-4 advantage in the series. The ultimate goal is to challenge America's Cup defenders New Zealand, which Britain has never won since the trophy originated in 1851. Supported by INEOS' billionaire Jim Ratcliffe and the engineering expertise from Formula One team Mercedes, Ainslie hopes to bring the Cup to Britain.

Italian co-helm Jimmy Spithill vowed to fight back when racing resumes on Friday after a rest day, despite admitting the British team's stronger performance. "We just couldn't get enough to get an overtake," he said. Ainslie's co-helm Dylan Fletcher credited pre-start maneuvers as key and expressed growing confidence in his role. The British team will aim to seal the series on Friday.

(With inputs from agencies.)