(Updates with Artemis Racing beating Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Team USA)
June 2 (Reuters) - Emirates Team New Zealand kept up the pressure on defending America's Cup champions Oracle Team USA on Friday, beating SoftBank Team Japan and drawing level on points with the U.S. team who were convincingly beaten by Sweden's Artemis Racing.
Winds for the Louis Vuitton America's Cup qualifying races picked up in Bermuda's Great Sound from the gentle breezes which dominated the head-to-head racing on Thursday, allowing the 50-foot foiling catamarans to fly around the course.
In the first two races of the day, the New Zealand and Swedish crews dominated from start to finish, making few mistakes and giving their opponents little chance to pass.
"We were really happy with the start," Artemis Racing skipper Nathan Outteridge said in a televised interview following his crew's victory over Oracle Team USA who remained on seven points, level with the New Zealand team.
New Zealand helmsman Peter Burling, his face smeared in a mask of white sun cream, looked relaxed as he got the better of Dean Barker, the skipper of SoftBank Team Japan.
Emirates Team New Zealand, who have already qualified for the challengers' semi-final, are seeking to top the qualifying round robin event. Should they do so they would gain a bonus point for the America's Cup match against Oracle Team USA if they go the whole way through the competition.
Both crews reached speeds of more than 40 knots as they screeched around the natural race course, with the New Zealand team putting their revolutionary "cycling" sailors to work to provide the power needed to drive the boat's hydraulics.
Friday's racing could see Groupama Team France knocked out of the event if they fail to beat Emirates Team New Zealand in their duel scheduled for later in the session.
The six teams race each other twice in the head-to-head match race format, with a point for the winners. The challenger with the fewest points at the end of the qualifiers will not go through to the next semi-final round.