A lightning strike during Team New Zealand’s race against Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli brought an early end to proceedings on day five of the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger series, with the Kiwis taking their first loss of the round-robins. 

Team NZ were disqualified for going more than 100m outside of the boundary during the final leg, making the quick decision to exit the race after a lightning bolt struck on the course just ahead of where Luna Rossa were sailing. 

“I haven’t had a good run with lightning recently so I was more than keen to get near one of these big yachts that is actually ducted down to the water properly,” Team NZ starboard helmsman Peter Burling said on the broadcast. 

“There are a lot of electronics on these boats so when you see one of those [lightning strikes] on the course, it’s never fun, put it that way.” 

The lightning strike drew some colourful language from the Kiwis - with their onboard comms coming over the broadcast loud and clear at the moment it struck - and the win was awarded to the Italians once Team NZ had gone beyond allowed boundary limits. Racing was stopped for the day immediately. 

Luna Rossa had the race in the bag barring a total disaster at the point, getting the better of the Kiwis at the start and capitalising on a mistake that left Team NZ parked up off their foils after their first manoeuvre off the starting line. 

The Italians had a scare of their own soon after when they started to fly a touch high and looked destined for a splashdown, but they maintained their composure and sailed on at pace. 

It was a day of tricky conditions for racing, particularly in that second match race of the day. Team NZ and Luna Rossa began their race in about 18 knots of breeze, but that had dropped down to about 10 for the final two legs. 

While there were no points on offer in terms of the challenger series for the race, it will be a big confidence booster for the Italians moving forward. 

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli beat Emirates Team New Zealand on day five of the Louis Vuitton Cup. Photo / Ian Roman, America's Cup 

“It was a different day today. I’m very proud of the team, very proud with all the boys on board. We sailed a very good race and finally we beat the Kiwis. We’re super happy,” Luna Rossa port helmsman Francesco Bruni said on the broadcast. 

“When you win on such a complicated day, it becomes more. You feel you have to be more proud for winning. It was not an easy day and we sailed well. It was a very hard prestart, those guys are really stepping up again, but we did better this time.” 

In the only other race to be run, Alinghi Red Bull Racing finally got their first point of the regatta with a win over fellow strugglers Orient Express Racing Team. 

With the bottom-placed team after the second round-robin going home, it was arguably the most important race of the round, but the French having issues with the board and falling off the foils early on opened up the door for Alinghi to run away with it. 

With both teams now 1-4, just one more win could be enough to ensure survival into the semifinals. However, they could meet again in a one-off race to decide the bottom-placed team should they fail to win another match in the round-robin, which is scheduled to resume tomorrow. 

Results from day five 

Alinghi Red Bull Racing beat Orient Express Racing Team by 1min10sec 

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli beat Emirates Team New Zealand by disqualification 

Louis Vuitton Cup standings 

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli 4-0 

Ineos Britannia 3-1 

American Magic 2-2 

Orient Express Racing Team 1-4 

Alinghi Red Bull Racing 1-4 

Races featuring Team NZ (4-2) do not count towards the Louis Vuitton Cup standings and have not been factored in above. 

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.