Pole Position

Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ) has won the Louis Vuitton challenger series, crushing American rival BMW Oracle Racing by 1m 34s. The victory gave ETNZ the right to choose its opponent for the best-of-nine semifinals. Skipper Dean Barker elected to race fourth-place finishers Desafio Español of Spain, leaving BMW to square off against Italy’s Luna Rossa. “The media can say what they want but we have 100 per cent belief in our team and we are looking forward to getting on to the next stage,” said Barker in the NZ Herald. The semifinals will take place 14-24 May. The two winning teams will race in the America’s Cup final against defending champion Alinghi (Switzerland) from 23