52 SUPER SERIES: today closes with a third place for Luna Rossa

Today in Sibenik the first of the five stages of the Super Series circuit, dedicated to the TP52 monohulls, comes to a close.

This was the first test for the new TP52 Luna Rossa, launched in Trieste on May 13th, a debut showing Francesco Bruni at the helm, Vasco Vascotto as tactician and James Spithill in the role of strategist. The crew includes several acquisitions, selected through the New Generation program, with the aim of creating a strong synergy between more experienced sailors and a new younger generation of athletes.

The five days of regattas, which began on May 23rd, involved ten races, including a striking coastal regatta between the Croatian islands.

Today was the final regatta that determined the overall result for all the teams. Race conditions showed very light winds and the warning signal was postponed for a few hours. Luna Rossa fought hard on the starting line and closed today's race with a nice third position that allowed her to move up in the ranking and close the event in sixth place, just a few points from the podium. The challenge is still on.

Helmsman Francesco Bruni commented the day's race: “Today we had very little wind, a condition that allow our boat to perform very well. We also had a couple of issues that we overcame successfully. The good start, good tactics and good boat handling were the mix that allowed us to do well”.

Max Sirena declared: “We knew from the start that this first event was going to be hard for us but we chose to go with the Super Series circuit because we consider it to be the most competitive. It’s an important exercise for both our sailing and shore crews. There are still four events and we are only at the beginning. There is still a long way to go.”

Vascotto, a veteran of this circuit, adds: "First of all an important thank you: to our shore team, whose incredible work allowed our boat to function very well in so little time; to the new young sailors on board because their performance allowed us to gain points. Last but not least, thank you to the rest of the team following us from Cagliari who shares each step of this challenge with us. We know that overall we sailed below our potential at the beginning, but showed an improvement day after day, which is a predictable progress for a group newly formed but growing steadily.”

The next appointment for Luna Rossa will be the second Super Series sailing week, once again in Croatia, in Zadar, from June 20-24.