The Luna Rossa sailing team said Monday that its rivals should be stressed if its boat is different from the rest of the America's Cup field, not the other way around.
"We have made a choice and I don't think it is such an extreme one," responded Francesco De Angelis, the Italian team's skipper, when asked about the design of his boat, which is squarer than those of the other 11 teams.
"I certainly do not feel in a corner or under pressure and I am not nervous. If anything, the others should be nervous".
Luna Rossa (Red Moon) is the most highly fancied of the three Italian teams in Valencia bidding to win the Louis Vuitton Cup and the right to challenge Alinghi of Switzerland - the holders of yachting's most coveted trophy.
De Angelis downplayed the importance of the otherwise unspectacular technical differences revealed when the teams unveiled their boats Sunday.
Instead he stressed the importance of the crews and of sailing skills, especially off the coast of Valencia, where the wind is unpredictable.
"The wind will certainly penalize some teams, but only the ones that don't know how to sail, not all the crews," he said.
Luna Rossa, which is sponsored by the Prada fashion house, won the Louis Vuitton Cup in its debut campaign in 1999-2000, but was whitewashed 5-0 by Team New Zealand in the ensuing America's Cup showdown.
In 2002-2003 the team was knocked out in the semi-final of the Louis Vuitton Cup.
De Angelis was speaking on the eve of the start of competitive action on Tuesday with the Louis Vuitton Act 13.
This is the last and most important of a series of pre-competition regattas, the outcome of which determines the number of bonus points the teams will take into the round robin stage of the Louis Vuitton Cup.
The whole field of 12 competitors will take part in the Louis Vuitton Act 13, including defenders Alinghi, although Alinghi's results will not be counted.
Luna Rossa is currently third in the ranking, behind Team New Zealand and the BMW Oracle Racing team of the USA, a position which would earn the Italians three bonus points.
But this situation could change over the next four days. Luna Rossa has 118 points, which puts them in with a shot of catching leaders BMW Oracle, which has 125, and taking the maximum four bonus points.
The two other Italian teams, Mascalzone Latino (Latin Rascal) and +39 Challenge, are fifth and seventh respectively. If those positions are maintained both teams will have two bonus points each in the round robins.
Mascalzone Latino is taking part in its second America's Cup.
While the adventure four years ago was seen as a learning experience, the team is much more ambitious this time.
"We have gradually developed over the course of the last two years of preparation," said Mascalzone Latino skipper Vasco Vascotto.
"We have raced against major teams and achieved important results. We are happy with how we have worked; we are definitely the team that has worked hardest. Mascalzone is OK".
+39 Challenge is a new contender, although it has a number of experienced hands on deck, including Britain's former Olympic gold medallist Iain Percy and skipper Luca Devoti, the man who came in behind Percy at the 2000 Sydney Games.
The team has a relatively small budget and is taking part in the Cup with just one boat, while most of the others have two.
But Percy is undeterred.
"Money counts more than anything in this type of competition, but men do all the rest," he said Monday.
The Louis Vuitton Cup proper starts with the first of the round robin head-to-heads on April 16.
The battle for the top four places continues until May 7.
The 'first-to-five' semi-finals start a week later, while the Louis Vuitton Cup final runs June 1-12.
The Louis Vuitton champion will then take on Alinghi in the 32nd America's Cup match in another 'first-to-five' series from June 23 onwards.
