(ANSA) - Excitement is rising ahead of this week's start of the Louis Vuitton Acts 8 and 9, here in Trapani in western Sicily. The races will be the last pre-America's Cup races of the year with the first Act dedicated to one-on-one match racing and the second to fleet racing.
The Louis Vuitton Act series was introduced for the 32nd edition of the America's Cup by Swiss defenders Alinghi to offer all teams a chance to measure themselves against each other on a regular basis and keep race fans firmly focused on America's Cup sailing.
Each successive Act takes on increasing importance and be used as a ranking tool for the Louis Vuitton Cup, which will designate the official America's Cup challenger in 2007. Particular attention will be focused here on Italy's three teams: veterans Luna Rossa and Mascalzone Latino and newcomer +39 Challenge.
The Neapolitan-based Mascalzone Latino made its debut in the last America's Cup in New Zealand, while Luna Rossa won the Louis Vuitton Cup in the 30th edition of the America's Cup, to then lose against New Zealand's Black Magic in the cup itself.
The 12 teams competing in the Louis Vuitton series will practice on Tuesday ahead of the official opening of Act 8 on Tuesday. The first two flights of match racing begin on Wednesday. There will then be two flights of racing a day until Tuesday, October 4, when the final flight will be staged. This will be followed by the prize giving ceremony.
The fleet racing in Act 9 gets started after a two-day rest, on Friday October 7. There will be two races on Friday and Saturday and then one on Sunday, before the prize ceremony at which the series winner for 2005 will be crowned. Two race courses have been mapped out, one to the north
of the town and the other to the west. In order to host the races, Trapani has to do extensive
work in its old commercial and fishing port, infrastructure which will remain once the America's Cup circus has left town.
Because this town of 60,000 has limited accommodation, two cruise ships have been brought in to house the teams, organizers, guests and the media. Louis Vuitton Acts 6 and 7 were staged in Malmo, Sweden and the Spanish port of Valencia, which will host the America's Cup in two years' time.
