America's Cup: 'We hoped for more' Bruni reacts as Luna Rossa finishes 4th overall
by Luna Rossa Media 18 Sep 2023 17:08 NZST
18 September 2023
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli - America's Cup Preliminary Regatta - Day 3 - Vilanova - September 17, 2023 © Luca Butto
On the final day of the Vilanova Preliminary Regatta, three fleet races were held, as scheduled (first start at 15.05), followed by a "Grand Finale" Match Race between the first two teams in the ranking - Emirates Team New Zealand and NYYC American Magic - won by the US team.
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli closed this inaugural event of the 37th America's Cup in fourth position.
"Not a satisfactory result, according to helmsman Francesco Bruni: "We certainly hoped for something more. We knew it would be difficult against teams that have many more sailing hours on the AC40, and so it was. Now we must look ahead, understand our mistakes and learn for the next regattas. We also had a few too many technical problems and we have to figure out how to reduce them".
The wind, 12 knots at the start of the first race, gradually dropped throughout the course of the day, "reshuffling" the positions of the boats, both on the racecourse and in the overall ranking. Many fans watched the races from the beach or on the big screens set up in the public village. Outside the racecourse perimeter were also crowded with spectator boats taking advantage of the summer Sunday to get a close look at the AC40s engaged in the final day of the Vilanova Preliminary Regatta.
Race 03:
Starting on time at 15.05 in 8 to 13 knots ESE winds, the first fleet race was spectacular and hard-fought, but also highly complex for the AC40s, who had to manage the delicate phase of staying on foils in a cross sea state and fickle breeze that dropped off halfway through the race. Although clearly not comfortable in these conditions, Luna Rossa sailed in constant search of wind on the race course, gradually gaining a few positions that led her to cross the finish line in third place.
Winner: Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL).
Race 04:
After a spectacular start, with the boats lined up and flying on the start line, Luna Rossa sailed to the left side of the course in search of clean air and to avoid the "dirty air" coming from the sails of the other boats and that would risk slowing her down and making her fall off the foils. In these weak and unstable wind conditions, Luna Rossa's crew paid for its lack of sailing hours on board the One Design boat compared to teams that had been training on the AC40 for much longer. After a hard-fought race with Alinghi Red Bull Racing, the Italian boat closed the race in third position.
Winner: NYYC American Magic (USA)
Race 05:
The last fleet race was, as expected, very aggressive, especially for the teams competing for second place in the final Match Race. Despite some flaws that had been seen in the last race, the leadership of Defender Emirates Team New Zealand was never in question. Having started with a penalty for touching the boundary, due to the malfunction of the on-board communication system, Luna Rossa tried in every way to make up the accumulated delay but did not find the opportunity, also due to lack of breeze as this died down almost completely on the racecourse. The Italian team close fifth.
Winner: NYYC American Magic (USA)
Max Sirena, Skipper and Team Director of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli: "We knew it was going to be tough, but clearly we aren’t happy about the final outcome of this event. What ultimately determined the result were some bad starts. We’re now heading home and will analyze what happened through various debriefs in order to reach Jeddah as prepared as possible and achieve results worthy of the team."
Luna Rossa's sailing team was composed of:
Jimmy Spithill (timoniere), Francesco Bruni (timoniere), Umberto Molineris (trimmer) e Andrea Tesei (trimmer).