BARCELONA (AFP) – Britain, skippered by sailing great Ben Ainslie, will compete in the America's Cup for the first time since 1964 after edging Italy 7-4 in a thrilling Louis Vuitton Cup qualifying event on Friday in Barcelona.
Ineos Britannia won the first of two races in Spain on Friday to seal the best-of-13 series against the Italian Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team.
"It is a massive day for our team and I can't say how proud I am of everyone," said Ainslie, 47, a four-time Olympic champion.
"We started this team 10 years ago, Britain wasn't in the America's Cup, it took a lot of people to come in and support the team financially, of course Jim (Ratcliffe) and his team at Ineos."
The victory means Britain will face double defending champions New Zealand in the 37th America's Cup final from October 12 to 21 off Barcelona.
Britain have never won the America's Cup in its current form. They won the inaugural regatta in 1851 when the Royal Yacht Squadron triumphed in a fleet race around the Isle of Wight.
Heading into Friday with a 6-4 lead, Ineos Britannia needed to win just one of the two scheduled races.
Britain built on a fast start to open up a 150-metre lead after the first leg of eight.
The Italians briefly came back alongside Ineos halfway through the race, but the British boat took off again to win with a 300 metre lead.
'FAULTLESS RACE'
It was success at the third attempt for Ainslie's crew and ends a wait stretching back six decades.
In 1964, a team led by Peter Scott overcame a second British yacht, Kurrewa, to attain challenger status, but lost 4-0 to America's dominant New York Yacht Club.
One of the greatest sailors in history with five medals in as many Olympics from 1996 to 2012 -- one silver and then four gold -- Ainslie had never before won the Louis Vuitton Cup as a helmsman.
He has won the famous silver ewer as a tactician with Oracle Team USA in 2013, but had failed twice during the Louis-Vuitton Cup as main navigator.
"There is a lot of pressure, these huge organisations have made a lot of investment of time and money, and you want to make it right, to make it count. I am just so delighted for the whole team," said Ainslie.
British billionaire Ratcliffe, who has a stake in Manchester United, joined the crew celebrations in Barcelona.
"They sailed a faultless race today," Ineos chairman Ratcliffe told BBC Sport.
"This is right up there really. It's not followed by the mass public, but I think in the UK now it'll pick up momentum, and it should do because it's the oldest international trophy in the world and the only one we haven't won."