KZ-5 crowned 12 Metre Grand Prix World Champion with two races to spare
Andrea Bianchedi’s KZ-5 has won the 12 Metre Grand Prix World Championship currently taking place in Imperia with two races to spare. Representing the Yacht Club Italiano, with Pietro D’Alì at the helm, Flavio Favini calling tactics and Tiziano Nava as skipper and mainsail trimmer, KZ-5 also won today’s only race, bringing her scoreline to five first places and one second, with the latter discarded. Her superiority has been evident across a wide range of conditions: from the strong breeze and developed sea state of the opening day to Sunday’s medium-light winds and today’s weak and unstable breeze.
“It went extremely well. The boat was very fast and everyone was impeccable. We couldn’t have imagined anything better,” said a visibly delighted Pietro D’Alì on returning to the dock. The Genoese helmsman summed up the crew’s feelings in just a few words: “It was the boat that left us speechless.”
Today’s race was the most complex of the World Championship so far. The fleet started in around 8-9 knots from 85-90 degrees, with neither side of the course clearly favoured. KZ-5 initially chose the left together with her main rivals, while the breeze began to shift progressively to the right. The Italian boat’s speed enabled her to gain a few lengths over Kookaburra II and Kookaburra III and remain in control at the first decisive cross. On the approach to the windward mark, KZ-5 was then able to sail at a noticeably better angle, turning what had initially been a close contest into a clear lead at the mark. Behind her, the two Kookaburras were locked in a close battle, with Patrizio Bertelli’s KA-12 coming out on top.
The wind continued to shift during the race, accompanied by a steady drop in pressure. The Race Committee repositioned the windward mark at around 115 degrees; by the final run, the increasingly patchy breeze had fallen to 5-6 knots and was coming from approximately 125-130 degrees. A second race could not be held, as the forecast westerly never properly established itself.
“We chose this boat two years ago and, before coming here, we had never raced her in a proper regatta,” explained Tiziano Nava. “We spent a great deal of time working out how to make her perform, but we arrived in Imperia without any certainty. To discover that we were as fast as the best boats, score five wins and a second place, and secure the title with two races to spare is something that had never happened to me before.”
For Nava, the result also has a personal significance: “The last time I raced a 12 Metre was more than 40 years ago, aboard Azzurra. To still be here competing at my age is particularly satisfying. Every choice we made worked, and that was by no means a foregone conclusion.”
KZ-5’s skipper and mainsail trimmer also highlighted the contribution made by sail designer Guido Cavalazzi. “I have been working with Guido on this type of boat since the days of Azzurra in 1983, and later on the 6 Metres and the 8 Metre with which we won the World Championship. He knows these boats extremely well and has produced some outstanding sails for us. That has certainly been one of the keys to our success.”
KZ-5’s speed was particularly evident on the second upwind leg. When Kookaburra II attempted to close the gap, the Italian boat set up a loose cover to avoid becoming involved in a tacking duel. Starting from a situation in which the two boats appeared to have similar speed, KZ-5 quickly gained both height and angle, opening up a lead of approximately 100-150 metres. It was a performance that rounded off a World Championship without a single weak moment, in which the crew combined the boat’s superior performance with fast but low-risk starts, clean manoeuvres and consistently clear tactical and strategic decision-making.
Torben Grael, helmsman of defending champion Kookaburra II, acknowledged the achievement of his rivals: “We have to congratulate KZ-5 and her crew, where we have many friends. They prepared the boat extremely well for the conditions we found here, they were very fast and always sailed cleanly. They deserved to win. That is sport: sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. We won last time; this time they were better than us.”
Tomorrow, attention will turn to the battle for the remaining places on the podium. Patrizio Bertelli’s Kookaburra II currently lies second ahead of Kiwi Magic KZ-7, skippered by Denmark’s Jes Gram-Hansen, while Kookaburra III also remains in contention for the leading positions. “We will try to defend second place, which would still be an important result,” Grael said.
Gram-Hansen approaches the final two races knowing that everything remains open behind the new World Champion: “KZ-5 has sailed a great World Championship and thoroughly deserves to have already secured the title. For us and Kookaburra II, the battle for second place remains very close. Hopefully we can sail two races, because everything is still possible. It has been a wonderful event and a privilege to race these boats, with so much America’s Cup history behind them. I remember watching Fremantle as a child: that was where my dream of competing at the highest level in sailing began. To be here now is amazing.”
Giuliano Luzzatto
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