Bendigo’s Glenn Ashby is on the verge of winning sailing’s most famous prize – the America’s Cup.
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Ashby is skipper of the Team New Zealand crew which holds a 6-1 advantage over Team USA in the first-to-seven wins race series in Bermuda.
Four years ago, Ashby guided the Kiwis to an 8-1 lead in the best of 17-race series only to watch Team USA win eight-straight races and claim the Auld Mug.
"We've been in this situation before, still a long way to go," Ashby warned after Team New Zealand won Sunday’s two races over their arch-rival.
"I'm very, very proud of how the boys sailed the boat today - there were some great gains there."
Victory for Team New Zealand would cap Ashby’s stunning sailing career that already includes multiple world championships and an Olympic silver medal.
With Ashby in the skipper’s seat, the Kiwis have revolutionised sailing in the 35th America's Cup, using "cyclors" who pedal to provide the power needed to control the boat's foils and towering "wing" sail.
Team New Zealand’s dominance so far saw Team USA’s Australian skipper Jimmy Spithill offer to stand down.
"I'll do whatever is good for the team. If we think the team has got a better chance with me off the wheel, no problem," he said.
"These guys sailed better. They made fewer mistakes and they deserved to win two races.
"We're in a tough situation now. Clearly, the plan wasn't to be in this position, let me tell you. But we're here. So now it's up to us to respond and react.
"We'll just come back out tomorrow, really take all the lessons from today and we'll focus on one race at a time."