Primo servizio in Italia - first service in Italy! This Thursday, the first pre-regatta for the 38th Louis Vuitton America's Cup was officially opened in Cagliari. The first starting shot in the new Cup cycle will be fired on 22 May. The first test of strength will be served up in the Bay of Angels off Sardinia's beautiful coast with crews from five of the now seven Cup teams. In addition to their A teams, three of them are also sending a Women & Youth team into the race.
Starting signal for the first pre-regatta of the 38th Louis Vuitton America's Cup
Eight teams in total will battle for three days in up to eight fleet races for a place in the match race final of the top two. The pre-regatta has no impact on the challenger round for the 38th Louis Vuitton America's Cup next year. However, the three-day event offers all teams the chance to present themselves as a strong defender or challenger against the smaller AC40 foilers.
In addition, the three mixed female and youth quartets from New Zealand, Great Britain and Italy have a great opportunity to give the Cup establishment and their own senior team members a run for their money with strong performances. The female and male Cup youngsters from Emirates Team New Zealand, the British team Athena Pathway, which is affiliated with Team GB1, and Team Luna Rossa 1 will give it a go, while the Italians have left the 1st place to their youngsters. The senior team will start with the number 2.
The first training races have already been completed. The Cup teams were presented in the Race Village in Cagliari in the evening. The dock-out show starts at 1.30 pm on Friday. The first maximum of three races of the pre-regatta in the Sardinian area will be held on Friday between 3 and 5 pm. The time slot remains the same for the two following race days.
The races will be broadcast live on 22, 23 and 24 May via the America's Cup website. Also on Youtube you can switch on here.
The teams introduced themselves at the pre-match press conference on Thursday morning. For the New Zealand Cup defenders, skipper Nathan Outteridge answered the questions. Some Cup fans still had to get used to the fact that an Australian was representing the New Zealand team, while three-time New Zealand Cup winner Peter Burling appeared for the Italian team Luna Rossa in this first appearance of all the teams' leaders on one stage.
Who has the strongest sailing team this weekend?
Dylan Fletcher answered the questions for the British Challenger of Record. The Swiss Tudor Team Alinghi sent Paul Goodison into the verbal media ring. France's La Roche-Posay Racing Team was represented by Quentin Delapierre. Erica Dawson was there for the New Zealand team and double Olympic champion Hannah Mills for the British team. Italy's high-flyer Marco Gradoni, already victorious with the Italian youth team in the 37 America's Cup youth competition, once again represented Team Luna Rossa.
At the teams' first joint appearance, Nathan Outteridge openly stated that the America's Cup would be held on AC75 foils and that it would be "more of a design competition". At the same time, Outteridge also emphasised the importance of the pre-regatta: "It's about growing together as a sailing team. We have a really interesting team line-up. Seb Menzies has just joined us. He won the 49er World Championship last week. It's been incredible to sail with him here this week. We're really looking forward to the races."
As defenders, we just want to be there and sail with the challengers, see where we are and how we need to improve." Nathan Outteridge
Commenting on the rivalry with Peter Burling, with whom Nathan Outteridge worked on a team in the 37th America's Cup, Nathan Outteridge said: "It's interesting to work side by side like this for a few years, sitting in meetings together and now competing against each other. You have to realise that Pete and I have had a great relationship over the last 15 years. Whether we were training together, sailing against each other or working together. Now we're sailing against each other again. That's really cool."
Peter Burling has a new Italian Cup family
Peter Burling emphasised once again in the press conference that he had not expected to take part in the current America's Cup when he left Emirates Team New Zealand. "I honestly didn't think I'd be sitting here now," said the 2016 Olympic 49er champion, adding: "The opportunity came and it was absolutely incredible, how the team and the Luna Rossa fans welcomed me. It was super, super special. It feels like a family. Now I want to get out there and do my best at the weekend."
I have no illusions. We are still very much in the build-up phase. But we are very lucky to have an incredible group around us." Peter Burling
Quentin Delapierre also expressed optimism for France's La Roche-Posay Racing Team. "Stephan and Bruno (ed.: referring to the team directors Stephan Kandler and Bruno Dubois) have done a great job to ensure that we can contest a second consecutive campaign." Prominent newcomers to the French team include the 49er Olympic champions and 2024 SailGP season champions Diego Botin and Flo Trittel.
The image of the eight skippers on the stage in Cagliari also appeared new and different because two women, Erica Dason and Hannah Mills, were among the Cup greats. Mills described the opportunity to compete against the senior teams in the pre-regatta as "phenomenal", "indescribable" and "very, very special". Her team wanted to prepare for the Women's and Youth America's Cup next year. It couldn't be better than the America's Cup pre-regatta.
Italy makes Bella figura in the America's Cup
The state of the America's Cup as a competition as a whole was also a topic at the press conference. "We now have seven teams after six last time. That says a lot about the health of the America's Cup," stated Nathan Outteridge, who also referred to the two last-minute teams from the USA and Australia for whom the first prelude came too quickly. Just a few hours after the press conference - and before the start of the regatta - the Cup organisers confirmed the venue and date for the second pre-regatta of the 38th Louis Vuitton America's Cup.
The next test of strength on the AC40 foils will take place from 24 to 27 September in the upcoming Cup port of Naples. The race course will be laid out in the Bay of Naples. Italy's Minister for Sport and Youth said: "Italy is going one better! The city of Naples is thus preparing for its first dress rehearsal in its attractive territory. The America's Cup has been a universal event for centuries and has consolidated its universal value. After Cagliari, Naples is a stop on a journey that began just over a year ago with the awarding of the rights to host the event."
This journey is progressing concretely and punctually day by day, staying on course as we approach the world's most important sailing event of 2027." Andrea Abodi
Replay! You can see the press conference with the skippers in Cagliari and also the subsequent interview with Tom Slingsby and Ken Read from the two last-minute teams who are not yet taking part in the first pre-regatta for the 38th America's Cup this weekend:
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
