Luna Rossa boss Patrizio Bertelli was cautious Monday about his boat's chances of winning sailing's Holy Grail, the America's Cup.
"We took a great step forwards but now we have to take another two," the Prada chief said on Italian radio a day after Luna Rossa beat highly fancied American yacht Oracle in the Louis Vuitton Cup semi-final.
The Louis Vuitton Cup decides who will challenge the America's Cup holder - currently Alinghi of Switzerland.
In the other semi-final New Zealand are 4-2 up against Desafio of Spain and could clinch the match on Tuesday.
Bertelli said he was looking forward to facing the New Zealanders, who are most pundits' favourites to get through to the world's oldest sporting contest in June.
"We have a chance of beating them too, even though they've been holders," Bertelli said.
New Zealand whitewashed Luna Rossa 5-0 in the 2000 America's Cup before suffering the same fate against Alinghi in 2003.
Luna Rossa's success - watched by a record TV audience Sunday - is already boosting sales of Prada's yacht-themed jackets and headgear.
One item was sold every 18 seconds in Prada's Luna Rossa store in Valencia Sunday, bringing in a record daily take of 130,000 euros.
By July, when the America's Cup ends, the Italian fashion house led by Bertelli's wife Miuccia Prada reckons it will have hit its target of selling 20 million euros' worth of Luna Rossa gear and memorabilia.
