Image: © @Ivo Rovira / America's Cup
Anyone who followed the Joint Reconnaissance programme over the last two years will be well aware of just how serious Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli is about winning the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup. Their campaign has been near-faultless, fusing outstanding technology and design with high-intensity pressure sailing day in and day out.
Based out of an amazing facility on the dockside in Cagliari, the Italian team has been a happy collective, revelling in the challenge and pushing relentlessly hard in all areas. The team elected to build a truly stunning LEQ12, almost a scaled-down version of the Cup winning boat ‘Te Rehutai’ of Emirates Team New Zealand and put it to work to hone the sailors and design team. The results were incredible and served up some of the most memorable images and footage of this cycle. In a breeze they were simply sublime and their focus was one of humility and continual learning.
When the team revealed and launched their AC75 with Miuccia Prada performing the naming ceremony alongside Patrizio Bertelli, there were gasps at the sheer beauty of what was before us and immediately the gathered crowd could see the no nonsense intent on winning this America’s Cup and bringing the trophy to Italy for the very first time. Hard to bet against, the sailors translated their LEQ12 performances immediately to the AC75 and since arriving in Barcelona they are the team that everyone is watching.
Whilst the superstar sailors of Jimmy Spithill, Marco Gradoni, Francesco Bruni and Ruggero Tita very often take the limelight, behind the scenes the indomitable figure of Max Sirena is very much the beating heart of this campaign. The Rimini born Sirena has been involved in Italian challenges since 2000, won the Cup with Oracle Racing in 2010 and gained huge inside experience with Emirates team New Zealand in their successful 2017 campaign. Max knows how to win this and there’s a feeling of everything coming together after their ultimate defeat in the Match in 2021.
However, ahead of the third and final Preliminary Regatta at the end of August, Max is very much keeping the team focussed and not allowing for over confidence: “Although we have been preparing for three and a half years for the start of these races, we never feel quite ready. You always wish you had more time. The Preliminary Regatta will be important and is a motivation to gauge where we are in relation to the rest of the fleet, but since it has no value in terms of score, it will only give us a hint, and not a final assessment prior to the actual official regattas. Also, there won’t be the same pressure that we will experience during the Round Robins.”
Whilst many teams will be bench-marking against the aesthetically beautiful Luna Rossa, Max is looking at the detail both in terms of design and racecraft with an eye on when it really matters: “It will be the opportunity to assess our performance for the first time with the AC75s and to look at aspects where we can improve, but the real game will start when points are awarded. Then we will have to see if everyone pushes hard and if they start playing with tactical games, to show the true potential of the team, the boats and skills in the pre-start box. Everyone will be alert, trying to learn as much as possible about their opponents and how their team looks to be positioned within the fleet.”
There will be key line-ups in the Preliminary Regatta where the chance to test against the best will raise the tension and put pressure on the sailors. Does Luna Rossa fear anyone at this stage? Max in unequivocal: “The goal of all teams is to make it to the America's Cup final, but to do so we will have to face and beat each of the other challengers. There is no one we fear specifically, we need to watch out for everyone and above all we need to be careful and avoid being the first ones to make a mistake. Given the investment and time involved, I don't think there will be any teams sandbagging. I think everyone will take to the water with the goal of winning the regattas, because a cruel aspect of this Cup is that after a week or so, one team will go home and then everyone will try to get through the two round robins to get to the semifinals.”
Continual development has been a hallmark of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli since the very start of their sailing back in Cagliari and the team have spoken openly about the final developments in the run up to the start of racing. A refined rudder package, new wings and ongoing sail and systems development continue at pace, and it’s something that Max sees as key across the teams saying: “I think everyone will continue to develop until the end of the regattas. It is crucial to keep on developing the boat and the fine tuning because that is what will make the difference. We must be prepared and ready to progress every day we go on the water. Maybe it will be things that are not visible from the outside, but every time the boat sails there is something different, whether it is the control system software, or hardware or something else. The development must continue during the races.”
The much-vaunted conditions in Barcelona could well be the undoing of some but for Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli their year-round training schedule saw them sail in just about every condition imaginable, determined to create an ultimate all-round package and it shows. Max certainly doesn’t buy into the armchair meteorology theories: “Since we arrived in Barcelona, we have found all kinds of weather except the ones we expected statistically. It will be interesting to see how the different teams perform on this racecourse and in the various conditions. I would say that to date everyone is trying to train to be as all-round as possible; then, as you go along, you start to focus on the set-up you expect to find in the following regattas.”
With some incredible talent both on the water and shoreside, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli looks to be the complete package and more than capable of taking the America’s Cup back to the Circolo della Vela Sicilia, one of the most prestigious yacht clubs in the world. Ahead of that piece of history being written is a mighty challenge and one that Max and the team are taking on with expectation: “Like all the other teams we have been working and sailing a lot to be as prepared as possible for these regattas, and although you wish you still had some time left, from a sporting point of view you can't wait to get started. There is a lot of excitement and expectation on our part. We are thrilled to start racing with the knowledge that it will be a battle because in the end, with one team eliminated after a few days, it will be crucial to stay focused and not underestimate any aspect, whether it is tied to the opponents or internal, because even a technical problem or any form of damage can put you at risk during the preliminary phase.”
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli is a serious contender for the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup. Everyone knows it and the expectation is quite rightly building both within the team and amongst the fanatical home supporters to go one better than in 2021. Can they do it? They’re the bookies favourite amongst the Challengers and all eyes will be on this thrilling team as they go head-to-head against the very best in the Preliminary Regatta that starts on the 22nd August 2024 in Barcelona. Watch this space.
(Magnus Wheatley)