America's Cup: New Zealand rule out legal challenge to Oracle win

Team New Zealand have ruled out a legal challenge to Oracle Team USA's use of an automatic stabilisation system that is thought to have boosted performance in the stunning America's Cup victory.

Oracle won eight straight races to edge the Kiwis 9-8 in one of the great sporting comebacks in San Francisco.

New Zealand media reported the system helped the foils to work more efficiently and improve speed.

But Team NZ boss Grant Dalton said there would be no legal challenge.

"Absolutely not, in any shape, form or any other way. It would be an incredibly bad thing to do," Dalton told New Zealand's Radio Sport.

The revolutionary 72ft catamarans feature rigid wing sails and hydrofoils that lift the hulls out of the water to reduce drag and help them achieve speeds in excess of 50 mph.

The automatic system is said to monitor the trim of the foils, making it easier for the sailors to coax the boat onto the foils earlier and for longer.

Under America's Cup rules, all adjustments must be by human power, but Dalton said his team had been assured by organisers that the Oracle boat conformed to specifications.

The 56-year-old refused to speculate on whether or not he considered the device legal.

"It would be so wrong for me or any person within the team to entertain a discussion about that," Dalton said.

Oracle, bankrolled by software billionaire Larry Ellison, were docked two points ahead of the competition for illegally modifying their smaller 45ft catamaran on the warm-up regatta circuit.

In the America's Cup, the US syndicate lost four of the first five races before drafting in British Olympic legend Ben Ainslie as tactician in place of American John Kostecki, and playing a race-postponement card to give them time to make significant changes to their boat.

Oracle then won 10 of the next 14 races, including eight in a row, to triumph when the Kiwis had been poised at match point for seven days.