French crew in first America's Cup win, U.S. beaten

(Reuters) - Underdogs Groupama Team France won their first race of the America's Cup in Bermuda on Sunday, while defender Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Team USA tasted defeat for the first time in the contest.

Artemis Racing, the pre-event hot shots, were beaten by the French team in a thrilling duel between the two high-tech 50-foot (15 meter) catamarans reaching speeds of up to 40 knots.

But the Swedish team made amends in their second race by ending the three-race winning run of Oracle Team USA with a convincing show of tactics and boat speed giving them victory by a 39-second margin after taking the lead from the start.

It was not all bad news for the U.S. crew, however, with a win in the head-to-head between former team mates Jimmy Spithill and Land Rover BAR skipper Ben Ainslie. The two showed initial wariness of each other, with Ainslie, the most successful Olympic sailor ever, getting the advantage at the start and the early lead.

There were doubts whether the British crew would be able to race at all after their 50-foot foiling catamaran was holed during a clash with SoftBank Team Japan during the opening day of the 35th America's Cup qualifying races on Saturday.

But while Land Rover BAR showed good speed, the U.S. crew's tactician Tom Slingsby made a shrewd call on the third leg of the seven leg course and Oracle Team USA were able to pass their British opponents and produce a convincing win.

"It was just smooth sailing and no panic," Spithill said after the race, adding that he was "not yet satisfied" with the performance his crew were getting out of their catamaran.

"The boat is getting quicker every day and we just need to keep that going," Spithill added.

Although the wind was shifty, conditions in Bermuda's Great Sound were once again ideal and France got the better of Sweden at the start, with the flat water allowing the two boats to "fly" on their foils.

The French crew, one of five challengers seeking to take on Oracle Team USA in the final next month, sailed their foiling catamaran far more confidently after losing both their races on the opening day on Saturday.

The French kept their composure and outmanoeuvred Artemis. Although Artemis pushed them hard to the end, Groupama Team France managed to cling on and crossed the line three seconds ahead of the Swedish crew.

Groupama Team France had appeared to struggle to keep their boat on its foils during some maneuvers against defenders Oracle Team USA on Saturday, with their hulls occasionally ploughing into the water and losing them precious time.

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