Italian sailor Ambrogio Beccaria doesn’t chase headlines—he chases consistency, and it’s working. The 34-year-old Milan-born nautical engineer has methodically climbed offshore racing’s ladder, each rung carefully tested before moving up. Now campaigning the foiler Allagrande Mapei in the IMOCA 60 class, Beccaria has his sights locked on the 2028 Vendée Globe, with the Vendée Arctique 2026 serving as a crucial proving ground for both sailor and boat.
Beccaria’s ascent reflects a generation comfortable with data and preparation rather than daredevil instinct. His Mini Transat victory in 2019 made him Italy’s first winner in that class and announced his arrival on the international circuit. He followed that with TAG Heuer Sailor of the Year honours in consecutive years and Milan’s prestigious Ambrogino d’Oro. Yet the real measures of his reliability are the statistics: 29 regattas, 23 podiums, 17 victories.
His Class40 tenure with Alla Grande—Pirelli solidified the pattern. Second in the 2022 Route du Rhum, he took out the 2023 Transat Jacques Vabre and the 2024 Transat CIC, each win building crew confidence and mechanical knowledge. These aren’t flash results; they’re the kind that come from understanding weather windows, honouring your equipment and sailing smart rather than hard.
The transition to IMOCA represents a calculated step. Allagrande Mapei is a 2022 foiler designed by Antoine Koch, a proven platform that offers plenty of room for development. Backing comes from Mapei, the Milan-based building-materials giant with deep pockets and a track record supporting major infrastructure projects—they’re approaching this with corporate rigour, not passion alone.
For New Zealand sailors familiar with Southern Ocean racing, Beccaria’s approach should resonate. He’s not talking about transformation or disruption; he’s talking about structure and progression. The Vendée Arctique will test both boat handling in extreme conditions and the systems—physical and mental—that separate finishers from DNFs. For Beccaria, it’s another carefully measured step toward Le Défi, 2028.
