Emirates Team New Zealand will try to move closer towards regaining the America's Cup as they duke it out once again with Oracle Team USA for the highly crucial Race 8 and 9 on San Francisco Bay on Saturday (starting at 1:15 p.m EST Pacific Time).
The America's Cup battle continues to heat up heading into the sixth day of racing in San Francisco. After sweeping the races on Thursday, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron is now just three wins away to winning back the most coveted hardware in team sailing.
However, Emirates Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker is very much aware that his team is a long way to go before they finally achieve their target. Barker, who powered the same team to the Louis Vuitton Championship, is also expecting Oracle Team USA to give their all in Saturday's races in an attempt to pull off a big comeback.
"It feels great to win six races; we are two thirds of the way there, but to win the cup we need to win nine. Three races are a lot of hard work, one bad day and things can change," Barker said during the press conference via America's Cup.
"I know there is huge support back home. This motivates the guys to dig deeper and race harder. Right now we are focused on the three races to go," Barker added.
It has been a rough series of race for the defending America's Champion as Oracle skipper James Spithill and his crew was able to come up with one victory in seven pulsating races. Even before the start of the competition, Team Oracle USA was rocked by a penalty imposed by America's Cup organizers after the team was found guilty of cheating during the warm-up event in 2012. The penalty includes the dismissal of three team members, a fine worth $250,000, and one point penalty for each of the first two races of the match. Moreover, they also need to win 11 races while New Zealand only needs nine to win the America's Cup.
Live Streaming & T.V Schedule
NBC Sports Network will begin coverage of the America's Cup starting at 12:30 p.m. through 3 p.m. PST. Live Streaming & Replay is available on the America's Cup Youtube Channel.
AMERICA"S CUP LIVE STREAMING