America's Cup: Luna Rossa makes a commitment to the Commitment for AC38
by Richard Gladwell/Sail-World.com/nz 6 Oct 2024 10:18 BST
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli - Louis Vuitton Cup Final, Race Day 6 - October 2, 2024 © Ricardo Pinto / America's Cup
Chairman of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, Patrizio Bertelli has confirmed at a media conference in Barcelona that the Italian team will continue with it's seventh America's Cup campaign.
Speaking just a couple of days after Luna Rossa was eliminated from the 37th America's Cup, Mr Bertelli confirmed that the team will continue with Max Sirena as its Team Director. He believed the AC75 design was "the fastest boat I’ve ever had in all of my challenges."
With the announcement of the retirement of skipper, Jimmy Spithill, "as an athlete", the way is clear for the top helming talent of three times World Optimist champion Marco Gradoni and double Olympic Gold medalist, Ruggero Tita to be inducted into the front-line sailing team.
In the current Luna Rossa program, Gradoni and Tita were heavily involved in the testing process. They were both used as co-helmsmen in the second Preliminary Regatta held in Jeddah sailed in AC40s. There they finished second overall to Emirates Team New Zealand
The future of current co-helmsmen, Spithill and Francesco Bruni was not not spelled out. However Spithill has previously announced his intention to form an Italian SailGP team, however no formal announcement has been made as to whether it will be sailing in Season 5, which will get underway next month.
Mr Bertelli, while probably not 100% enamored with the direction of the current America's Cup class, accepted that there was no going back.
It is believed Luna Rossa would not agree to the use of cyclors in the 2021 edition of the America's Cup when it was the Challenger of Record. It will be interesting to see how discussions are conducted with the other four AC teams in the formulation of the Protocol and AC 75 Class Rule for the 38th America's Cup, given the intention of Royal Yacht Squadron and Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron to take the two key roles - with the specifics to be sorted as soon as the 37th Match is decided.
Luna Rossa are supportive of the AC40 circuit, both for its exposure but also appeal to youth and women's sailors and providing opportunities to move into professional sailing. However the likely Protocol issues surround the mandatory aspects such as the requirement for a hydrogen powered foiling chase boat, supply of some on board systems to all teams by the Defender, and others which the Italians have previously opined add cost but little real value to the event/teams.
Under the terms of the Protocol, both the Challenger or Record and Defender both have to agree on changes, and despite Competitor Forums and the like, conduct of the America's Cup ultimately is not a democracy.
In a demonstration of Luna Rossa's commitment to development Luna Rossa intend to sail their AC75 in Barcelona on Wednesday morning with a Youth crew, however subsequently all sailing in AC40's on Wednesday has been cancelled due to impending strong winds.
The written statement issued by the team states:
The day after Luna Rossa's elimination from the Challenger Selection Finals, Patrizio Bertelli, Chairman of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, met with some media representatives to discuss the current situation and the future of the team. Together with Bertelli were Marco Tronchetti Provera, Executive Vice President of Pirelli and co-title sponsor of the team, and Max Sirena, Skipper and Team Director.
Bertelli assured that Luna Rossa will continue its America’s Cup campaign guided by with Max Sirena, confirming his trust in the team he founded in 1997. He highlighted Luna Rossa’s significant sporting achievements, bringing Italy «from the outskirts to the heart of international sailing,» and its role in nurturing new talent. «In the last three years with Max Sirena we’ve rebuilt a strong team that is reminiscent of our 2000 beginnings,» Bertelli said, «a team defined by a strong sense of belonging, passion, advanced technology, and many young talents – not just sailors but also technical experts. We have a solid foundation to launch our next challenge.»
Reflecting on the Challenger Finals results, Bertelli commented: «The factual truth is that the boat that makes fewer mistakes goes forward. There will be time to analyze what happened, but the issue certainly wasn’t a slow boat. Ours was very fast, in fact, I believe it’s the fastest boat I’ve ever had in all of my challenges. This is what the America’s Cup is like; the competition level is high. We hit a rough two weeks and made mistakes. We’re not in the final because we made more errors than others.»
Regarding the future of the America’s Cup and foiling monohulls, Bertelli noted that it has become a circuit without historical precedents, vastly different from the Newport or Auckland editions. He emphasized that boats like the AC40 are «a major innovation, that attracts younger generations into the sport. We must acknowledge the fact that sailing has changed, and it’s useless to compare it to the past because they are two entirely different worlds. In this respect, I don’t think there’s any going back.»
«In terms of continuity,» he added, «on Wednesday morning the AC75 will be out on the water with the youth crew, supported by the team that has raced so far, giving them a chance to get on board and, at the same time, reinforcing the stability and ongoing nature of the project we started years ago.»
Regarding a future partnership, Marco Tronchetti Provera commented: «This is just one defeat in a story of success. We will be there. We’ll evaluate the details and the form, but we will stand by Patrizio Bertelli and Luna Rossa.»