Skipper Paul Cayard has a bit of fashion house Prada as AmericaOne inflicted just the second defeat on the Italian syndicate’s Luna Rossa in the America’s Cup challenger yachting series today.

“I’ve got my piece of Prada,” Cayard announced as he showed off a piece of the Italian boat’s bow after the top boats’ tense struggle in the Louis Vuitton Cup.

The two boats had collided during the race’s pre-start, and it was the penalty awarded against Luna Rossa which determined the outcome.

Neither boat was seriously damaged in the crash, with Luna Rossa’s bow missing a chunk while AmericaOne’s transom was dented, and the two boats now head the challenger fleet, with just one point separating them.

Luna Rossa still leads on 73 points ahead of AmericaOne on 72.

Idaten, of Japan, continues to impress to sit in third on 65.5 points, half a point ahead of America True.

Despite the pre-start tussling, Luna Rossa ended up with the advantage for the bulk of the race and carried a 37-second lead rounding the final mark.

While the Italians could have completed the required penalty circle then, they opted not to and paid the price. Luna Rossa failed to close out AmericaOne on the final spinnaker run, and gave Cayard and his tactician John Kostecki the chance to sail into clean air and catch the Italians.

Luna Rossa left themselves too little time to complete the penalty and AmericaOne sailed by on the line for the win.

“We were never sure of the outcome of that race,” Cayard said. “It was a good race, regardless of the final result. It’s just good to be in a tough race like that.