America's Cup: Oracle Team USA draw level with Team New Zealand Oracle Team USA levelled the America's Cup at 8-8 against Team New Zealand to take the competition into a winner-takes-all final race on Wednesday. The defending champions clinched their sixth and seventh straight wins on Tuesday to complete a stunning comeback from 8-1 down in San Francisco. The Americans forced two penalties on the Kiwis at the start of race 17 and surged to a 27-second victory. Oracle trailed after two legs of race 18 but hit back to win by 54 seconds. The challengers have been within one race of victory since Wednesday, but have been thwarted by Oracle's resurgence and a series of races postponed by unfavourable wind conditions. Race 18: Oracle Team USA win by 54 secs Race 17: Oracle Team USA win by 27 secs Race 16: Oracle Team USA win by 33 secs Race 15: Oracle Team USA win by 37 secs Race 14: Oracle Team USA win by 23 secs Race 13: Oracle Team USA win by 84 secs Race 12: Oracle Team USA win by 31 secs Race 11: Team New Zealand win by 15s Race 10: Team New Zealand win by 17s Race 9: Oracle Team USA win by 47 secs Race 8: Oracle Team USA win by 52 secs Race 7: Team New Zealand win by 66 secs Race 6: Team New Zealand win by 47 secs Race 5: Team New Zealand win by 65 secs Race 4: Oracle Team USA win by 8 secs Race 3: Team New Zealand win by 28 secs Race 2: Team New Zealand win by 52 secs Race 1: Team New Zealand win by 36 secs Oracle penalised two points pre-regatta Oracle have won 10 races in all but were penalised two points before the regatta began for illegal modifications to their smaller 45ft catamaran in the warm-up series. Needing just one win to clinch the America's Cup for the third time, and first time since losing to Alinghi in 2003, Team New Zealand were in need of a better start than in recent days. But in fresh winds on San Francisco Bay, Oracle skipper Jimmy Spithill forced his counterpart Dean Barker into committing two right-of-way penalties as the boats headed for the line, and made the most of the gap created to stay well clear throughout the five-leg race. Barker put his boat in a better position before the day's second race as the Kiwis won the sprint to the first mark and were still leading around the downwind gate. But Oracle surged past as the boats fought a tacking duel upwind and the holders raced clear to take the regatta into a deciding day. It doesn't matter how stiff the challenge is, the boys stuck their heads down and outground the other team. Very impressive," said Australian Spithill. What gives us confidence is we've really improved the boat. It's just going great. We're looking forward to getting on the racetrack and having one hell of a fight. It's the most exciting day of all of our lives and we wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Team New Zealand, who beat Italy's Luna Rossa in the challenger series final, dominated the early stages of the event and surged to a four-wins-to-one lead with a faster boat upwind and slicker crew work. The holders were rattled and played their one postponement card to delay racing and give them time to alter their 72ft catamaran. They also called up Britain's four-time Olympic champion Ben Ainslie from the training crew to the tactician role in place of American John Kostecki. The two teams won two races apiece in the following days before the Kiwis edged to match point on Wednesday. After several races were called off because of strong winds, New Zealand were deprived of overall victory in race 13 on Friday when uncharacteristic light winds meant the 40-minute time limit for a race elapsed with the Kiwis two minutes from glory. Since then, Oracle have been unstoppable and the Larry Ellison-backed outfit have won nine of the past 11 races to set up one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the 162-year-old competition. The winners of the event get to decide the format and venue of the next America's Cup.