Cheers echoed across Naples as Peter Burling, Marco Gradoni, Maria Giubilei and Gianluigi Ugolini completed a flawless day for Luna Rossa at the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta, Naples in September. Unbeaten around every mark in all three races, they delivered a masterclass in match racing when it mattered most.
Luna Rossa dominated both fleet races, building commanding early leads, while Emirates Team New Zealand secured their place in the final by fending off a fast and tactically sharp La Roche-Posay Racing Team. The French pushed hard throughout, but the Kiwis held them off to finish second and progress.
In race two, Luna Rossa again led from start to finish. Behind them, La Roche-Posay Racing Team capitalised on mistakes from Tudor Team Alinghi to secure a podium place, while Emirates Team New Zealand Women & Youth edged Luna Rossa 2 in a tense battle for the Youth & Women’s title. Jake Pye and Erica Dawson held off the Italian crew on the final leg to claim the crown and underline their credentials for next year’s America’s Cup youth events.
The regatta finale saw Luna Rossa and Emirates Team New Zealand meet again. ETNZ controlled the pre-start early, but a critical timing error allowed Luna Rossa to seize the initiative at the line. From there, Burling and Gradoni executed textbook match-racing to finish 350 metres ahead.
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