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AUCKLAND, New Zealand -- America's Cup-holder Alinghi beat BMW Oracle Racing by 1 minute, 7 seconds Thursday to clinch the best-of-three challenger final 2-0 and earn the right to race Team New Zealand in the Pacific Series sailing regatta finals. Switzerland's Alinghi won the opening race by a second Wednesday and made a third race unnecessary when it outsailed its bitter rival in the second race on Auckland's Waitemata Harbour. The best-of-seven race finals series against host and former Cup-holder Team New Zealand is set for Friday and Saturday. Alinghi added intrigue to the series when it finished Thursday's race flying a red protest flag and indicated it intended to lodge a formal protest over the format of the series. A hearing was due to be held later Thursday but no details of the protest were immediately available. Alinghi, with American Ed Baird at the helm, handily won the start of race two, led comfortably at the first mark and by almost 200 meters after the first downwind leg. Oracle, helmed by three-time America's Cup-winner Russell Coutts of New Zealand, could do little to bridge the gap in the last two legs as Alinghi thrived in a steady 15 knot breeze. The win meant Alinghi emerged from a group of nine America's Cup syndicates to challenge Team New Zealand for the overall series title. The teams clashed in the 2003 America's Cup final off Auckland, when Alinghi won five straight races, and in the 2007 final off Valencia, Spain, when the Swiss beat Team New Zealand 5-2.
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