:45PM Saturday June 23, 2007
After four years of waiting, the Alinghi syndicate begins its America's Cup defence races overnight off Valencia.
The Swiss operation faces Team New Zealand following a tense build-up to this series.
Alinghi owner Ernesto Bertarelli says he is very hungry to keep the 'auld mug', because the Cup means a lot more than he ever thought it would. Bertarelli says after winning in New Zealand he was thoroughly drawn in to the game.
Skipper Dean Barker just wants the racing to start after the long and arduous preparation. He says the whole team worked hard over the last three years and now they are virtually at the start of the finals they are determined to do the best they possibly can.
Butterworth knows exactly what he will be facing. He has always believed Team New Zealand would be the challenger of record for the 32nd instalment of the Auld Mug.
While he is quietly confident the Swiss yacht, SUI100, has the pace to win, he knows Team New Zealand has also made good strides in its development. He says while Team New Zealand has the boat it has always had, the team made solid improvements to it during the Louis Vuitton series and that makes life a bit more difficult for Alinghi.
However, Butterworth maintains SUI100 is probably half a generation ahead of NZL92.
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