Oracle BMW Racing beat defending America's Cup champion Alinghi of Switzerland twice Tuesday on San Francisco Bay to take a 2-1 lead in the Moet Cup.
Skipper Chris Dickson's crew took advantage of its local knowledge to give new recruit Gavin Brady his first victories while at the helm of USA-76. Oracle won the first race by 27 seconds and the second race by 24.
Brady was joined in the back of the boat by local sailors John Kostecki and Larry Ellison.
The Moet Cup is a rematch of the America's Cup challenger finals from last January when Alinghi beat San Francisco-based Oracle 5-1 to advance to meet Team New Zealand.
It's also the first in a series of regattas designed to make the America's Cup more fan-friendly. The races are on a shorter course, within view of spectators on the shore.
Racing continues Wednesday with two races scheduled, including one in the owner-driver series that will feature Ellison, the chairman and CEO of Oracle Corp, steering USA-76 against Alinghi's SUI-64. That boat will be led by biotech billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli.
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