Jimmy Spithill, the Oracle Team USA skipper, took aim at former team-mate Sir Ben Ainslie on the opening day of the America’s Cup World Series in Portsmouth yesterday.

Spithill, the youngest skipper to win the prestigious ‘Auld Mug’, told those gathered at a press conference that he and his Oracle colleagues will be going all out to upstage Ainslie in front of his own fans as America’s Cup racing returns to the Solent for the first time since 1851.

“Of course home team advantage is a big deal and if you look at that in any sport the home team usually has a good success record,” Spithill, the 2014 ISAF Sailor of the Year, said. “But for myself and the guys in my team we would love nothing better than to spoil that dream of Ben’s to win his first event in his hometown. That’s just us and I am sure the other teams have the same goal.”

Responding to his former team-mate’s remarks, Ainslie, the team principal and skipper of British challenger Land Rover BAR, said: “He likes spoiling parties, Jimmy, but we are used to his antics. They [Oracle] are the defending team, so they are the team everyone wants to beat — and certainly we do.”

One thing that both men agree upon is that this weekend’s racing will be extremely close with any team capable of winning.

“I really think this is the first time we have had a World Series event where every team can seriously win, and I think you will see that in the racing,” Spithill said. “If we get breeze this weekend we will see some serious action.”

Ainslie added: “From what we’ve seen on the water already the racing is going to be unbelievable. These teams have the best sailors in the world here and it’s going to be so close.”

The remaining teams competing in Portsmouth are Artemis Racing, Groupama Team France, Emirates Team New Zealand and Softbank Team Japan.

Racing gets under way tomorrow and continues through Sunday with two races per day.

The World Series is the first stage of competition for the 35th America’s Cup, which will be in Bermuda in 2017.

Featuring all of the America’s Cup teams the series is an early opportunity to earn points that will count towards the America’s Cup qualifiers and play-offs, which will ultimately determine the eventual challenger for the America’s Cup. The challenger will go on to compete against defender, Oracle Team USA.

Bermuda will host the third leg of the World Series from October 16 to 18.