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America’s Cup: Analyzing Alinghi Red Bull Racing’s Costly Gybe

The most spectacular moment in the recently concluded Louis Vuitton Preliminary Event was when Alinghi Red Bull Racing’s rudder lost its grip with the water shortly after rounding Mark 1 in Race 14.

The Swiss team had just executed a gybe and was leading Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli by 375 meters, following a poor start from the Italians, who were 500 meters behind Alinghi Red Bull Racing.

Data derived from the racing analytics recorded by Alinghi Red Bull Racing includes an “altitude” metric, though the specific units remain unknown. However, these measurements are consistent throughout the race for both AC75s.

By analyzing the data, we can pinpoint the timing of the incident. A separate dataset containing 300,000 rows of boat speed record shows that Alinghi reached a peak speed of 20 meters per second (39.0 knots) right before the incident. Meanwhile, Luna Rossa, which had yet to gybe, was sailing slightly faster at 21.5 m/s (about 42 knots).

The chart indicates that Alinghi’s data spiked vertically at approximately 12:53 UTC before dropping to a lower level just seconds later. Subsequent data points, which appear to be raw measurements, suggest that Alinghi managed to recover and resume foiling, although they consistently foiled at a lower altitude compared to Luna Rossa.

The incident dramatically reversed the race dynamics, shifting Luna Rossa from a 374-meter deficit to a 115-meter lead over Alinghi, creating a staggering delta of 490 meters. By plotting the altitude against time, it becomes evident how a single mistake can transform a seemingly secured race into a lost opportunity.

Though Luna Rossa was penalized for failing to keep clear of Alinghi during the incident, they later reclaimed the lead in the closing segments of Leg 3.

Throughout the race, Alinghi Red Bull Racing generally appeared slower than Luna Rossa, particularly in the larger swells experienced that day. Analyzing the altitude versus time data might suggest that the Swiss team was foiling at a lower height than optimal for the prevailing conditions.

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