2015 Melges 20 European Championship all set to go in Trapani

Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series Act 5 © Marina Semenova

Big fleet racing in Italy to usher in the Class' marquee European event, Audi-Tron Sailing Series Act Five

The pinnacle event for the Audi Melges 20 2015 racing season in Europe takes place this weekend in lovely Trapani, Sicily, Italy. The European Championship, which also serves as Act 5 of the celebrated Audi-Tron Sailing Series, is proud to be welcoming over 30 teams to the starting line representing an impressive ten nations. Organized by B.Plan Sport & Events (BPSE) in cooperation with Melges Europe, three amazing days and a total of ten races are on schedule with a practice session on Wednesday, 2 September.

The competition is stacked super high as the very best teams will attend, sights firmly set on the top prize. Familiar names such as current Series leader Dario Levi on Fremito D'Arja, Agusta Corrado's Customly, Guido Miani's Out of Reach, Alexander Ezhkov on Pirogovo Sailing and Richard Davies' Section 16 are all in attendance - ready to go as they also occupy the top five slots of the 2015 Audi Melges 20 World Ranking. This event will make all the difference. The list of adversaries is long and equally distinguished such as Wes Whitmyer's Slingshot, Mirko de Falco's Peccere, Claudio Dutto's Asante Sana and Marco Francini's Mezzaluna all are full of potential and could easily find themselves in the driver's seat of this top-notch event.

World Championship excitement builds

The racing does not stop in Trapani! For the ever-growing International Melges 20 Class post-Euros, it's on to the World Championship in San Francisco hosted by the San Francisco Yacht Club on September 30 - October 3. Four days of sensational, bay-style racing is scheduled, not to mention a host of great parties and fun. Entries continue to build as the list becomes packed with intense competitors. Check out the all-A-list of teams planning to race for the year's most coveted title - World Champion.

2015/16 Monaco Winter Series dates announced

Racing also continues throughout the Winter season in Europe. Hot off the announcement press - be sure to save the dates and get ready to race the seriously hot, five-part Monaco Winter Series hosted by the very prestigious and ever-glamorous Yacht Club de Monaco.

• ACT 1: 2015 October 23-25
• ACT 2: 2015 November 20-22
• ACT 3: 2015 December 11-13
• ACT 4: 2016 February 12-14
• ACT 5: 2015 March 18-20

Media and Racing Coverage

As with other Audi Melges 20 events in Europe and around the world, racing updates will be posted online at the Official Audi Melges 20 Facebook Page. Tune in for the latest racing information, results, video interviews, and photos. Race reports, press releases and photos will be made available online each day post racing at melges20.com.

Live Streaming

The 2015 Audi Melges 20 European Championship will be streamed live with Italian and English commentary by Zerogradinord and BPSE. Racing commences on Thursday, so be sure to visit this viewing link for all the action!

View the complete entry list here.

In addition to main sponsor Audi, the Audi-Tron Sailing Series is supported by official sponsors Kuehne+Nagel, Technical Partners Torqeedo, Caffe Vergnano, Bavaria, Usail, Nuova Jolly and The Suite Club.