SAILING AMERICA'S CUP: US CHALLENGER BMW Oracle won the opening race of the 33rd America's Cup yesterday, beating Swiss holders Alinghi by more than 3km in a stunning display of hi-tech sailing.

Software mogul Larry Ellison’s BMW Oracle started badly but was clearly faster than Ernesto Bertarelli’s Alinghi and opened a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series with surprising ease.

The American trimaran finished the 40 nautical mile course more than 15 minutes ahead of Alinghi, scything through the water at more than 20 knots with two of its three carbon-fibre hulls raised high in the air.

“We’re excited to get this one in,” BMW Oracle skipper James Spithill said. “There is stuff we can do to improve. Today was a day where everything was great on the boat.”

The second race between the giant multi-hull yachts is scheduled for tomorrow off the Spanish port city of Valencia.

Alinghi had been thought to be faster in lighter conditions, but BMW Oracle showed a clear advantage over the Swiss catamaran both upwind and downwind, indicating Bertarelli’s seven-year hold on the America’s Cup may be slipping.

“I always thought if we were able to fly a hull we’d be faster upwind, but I was genuinely surprised downwind,” Spithill said.

Spithill lured Alinghi into a penalty during aggressive pre-start manoeuvres, as the Swiss boat, with Bertarelli at the helm, failed to give way just before the gun.

Australian Spithill appeared to undo his good work, stalling at the line as Alinghi surged ahead in winds of between 6 and 10 knots. Spithill admitted having “a fumble” at the start.

The error did not hold BMW Oracle back for long.

With its unique wing-shaped mast and mainsail configuration – almost twice the size of a commercial jetliner’s wing – it soon made up the distance on Alinghi and had opened up a lead of 450 metres halfway up the first leg.

The American boat was three minutes 21 seconds ahead at the halfway mark after the first upwind leg and widened its lead on the downwind leg, reaching speeds of almost 25 knots.

Alinghi’s official losing margin was blown out to 15 minutes 28 seconds after the Swiss boat was forced to perform a penalty turn – which it botched – before crossing the finish line because of its pre-start transgression.