Alinghi set the standard for Cup challengers

Holders Alinghi have continued to set the standard in America's Cup racing by winning the final regatta of the season.

The Swiss syndicate finished top of the leaderboard in Trapani, Sicily on Sunday, edging out BMW Oracle Racing to seal their fifth win in this year's six races leading up to the 2007 America's Cup in Valencia.

"This success comes at the end of a long year of hard work and the whole team has worked hard towards getting us into this position," said Alinghi vice-president and tactician Brad Butterworth.

"We were hoping to win a couple of these events, not the whole series so it is a great surprise."

Alinghi, who thrashed Team New Zealand 5-0 in 2003 to become the first team since the inaugural race in 1851 to return the Auld Mug to Europe, launch a new boat next year.

"The risk for us now is to sit back and say 'we're in good shape' and slow down the progress, so my job is to keep pushing to keep the development going, so that we keep moving forward all the time," said co-manager Grant Simmer.

Emirates Team New Zealand and America's BMW Oracle Racing look once again the principal challengers to Alinghi's crown and Oracle Racing's skipper Chris Dickson believes the gap in class between defender and the challengers is narrowing with each regatta.

"We are knocking on the door. We have closed the gap. We are closer to them (Alinghi) now than we were two years ago," he said.

"Next year, we will be closer again and that sets it up nicely for a Challenger to win the America's Cup in 2007."

BMW Oracle Racing lost out to Alinghi in the 2003 Louis Vuitton Cup final which allowed the Swiss to challenge then holders Team New Zealand.

The 2006 season will consist of three Louis Vuitton Acts, all on the waters off Valencia, starting with a six-day match racing regatta in May.