Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli progess to semi-final stage at the UniCredit Youth America's Cup
by Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli 24 Sep 2024 04:55 NZST
23 September 2024
Day 6 - Group A - UniCredit Youth America's Cup - September 23, 2024 - Barcelona © Ian Roman / America's Cup
With its five wins in eight races, the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli youth team comes out of the first selection series of the UniCredit Youth America’s Cup in first place, proving to be the team to beat in the Semi-final Series, set to begin tomorrow, Tuesday, September 24.
After several postponements and delays due to adverse weather, the third and final selection day for Group A took place in challenging but spectacular conditions. The AC40s reached speeds of over 40 knots on the water as they sailed in almost 20 knots of wind, foiling in big waves and heavy rain. As expected, all six participating teams engaged in determined and well-fought regattas, no holds barred. At the end of the qualifying stages, the last three teams in the ranking were eliminated, while the top three will advance to the Semi-finals.
RACE#05
With a good start on the right side of the line, Luna Rossa sailed the first beat positioned evenly with the other boats but was quick to find the right conditions to separate from the fleet, engaging with the French team that rounded the first mark first. Luna Rossa, only 2 seconds behind, optimized on an excellent downwind speed to stretch forward and fend off the attacks by USA and NZL. The Gradoni-Ugolini duo displayed a show of well-practiced boat handling as they took the AC40 through the well-formed waves, never falling off the foils, and rounding the second gate with a 4-second lead. From that moment Luna Rossa stayed in the lead and crossed the finish line first, gaining another 10 points in the standings.
Luna Rossa: 1st place (+ 10 points).
RACE#06
In a race that started with a pattern similar to the previous one, Luna Rossa was positioned on the far right of the line and optimized on a favorable wind shift to take the lead. Following a series of very close calls with the other teams in the fleet, Luna Rossa rounded the first mark just 2 seconds behind NZL. Once again, the downwind was a show of solid boat handling by the Italian crew, who protested the New Zealand boat and took the lead at the next gate. From that point onwards Luna Rossa stayed in front, making no mistakes and shutting down any attempt at a comeback by the Kiwi team, earning 10 points and securing its spot in the next round.
Luna Rossa: 1st place (+ 10 points)
RACE#07
With a fall from the foils just seconds before the start, and a penalty for OCS, Luna Rossa was unable to recover the gap from the rest of the fleet and closed the race in last place.
Luna Rossa: 6th position (+1 point).
RACE#08
Despite a penalty at the start, Luna Rossa recovered quickly and moved to the right side of the course, rounding the first gate in second place. In the next downwind and the following upwind legs, the crew led by Marco Gradoni and Gianluigi "Gigi" Ugolini closed most of the gap against the other boats, rounding the third gate in third place, a position they maintained up to the finish line.
Luna Rossa: 3rd place (+5 points).
The Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli crew featured: Marco Gradoni and Gianluigi Ugolini (helmsmen), Federico Colaninno e Rocco Falcone (trimmer).