Transat CIC: Grande! Ambrogio Beccaria wins in the Class40 - "I'm looking forward to meeting people"

11 days, 16 hours, 17 minutes and 55 seconds. That is the time in which Ambrogio Beccaria won the 15th Transat CIC in the Class 40. It was a marvellous run that the Italian completed on a varied and challenging 3,280 nautical miles on the course from Lorient via the North Atlantic to New York. For the 32-year-old Milanese, the victory with "Alla Grande Pirelli" marks his third major transatlantic success after the mini-transat triumph in 2019 and the Transat Jacques Vabre two-handed victory with his French co-skipper Nicolas Andrieu.

Transat CIC: Beccaria like Soldini once did

In his debut year, Ambrogio Beccaria sailed to second place in the Route du Rhum 2022 with the powerful design by Gianluca Guelfi and Fabio D'Angeli. Back then, he was beaten by none other than high-flyer Yoann Richomme, who has just taken the Transat CIC 2024 by storm with his first Imoca "Paprec Arkéa" after the Retour à La Base 2023. Class 40 successor Ambrogio Beccaria's triumph in the Class 40 follows the sensational success of compatriot Giovanni Soldini, who won the Transat in 2008.

Having often won previous races with tactical and strategic masterpieces, Ambrogio Beccaria also had to prove his duel skills in the Transat CIC. His sailing friend and rival Ian Lipinski, with whom he has already contested several races such as the Channel Race 2022, which they won together, did not stop attacking the leader, whom he knows so well, until the decision. The Italian and the French "Crédit Mutuel" skipper were on an equal footing for long stretches.

Ambrogio Beccaria had not opened the Transat CIC in quite as controlled a manner as he finished it: After initial technical problems, the Italian had initially been in fourth position until he emerged from the first major low-pressure area. When the wind died down, Beccaria took a clearer lead. He extended his lead to 74 miles over Lipinski before the leaders again ran into light winds. In the unexpectedly strong and unpredictable Gulf Stream current and with less pressure, Beccaria's lead melted again. However, when the leading boats found their way out of the next tough high-pressure area, Beccaria's strategy worked better - he extended his lead decisively: to just under 40 nautical miles by the morning of the finish.

Tough moments, icy cold

The lead changed hands at least five times in the thrilling Class 40 duel. Ian Lipinski kept pushing his 2019 Mach40 designed by David Raison, with which he had won the Transat Jacques Vabre in the first year. "Ian is someone I really, really appreciate," said Ambrogio Beccaria. He continued: "Fighting with him is something special, there is no better partner to fight with."

Beccaria also reported that he had a damaged bulkhead at the start of the race, which he took time to repair. This was followed by damage to the Code Zero masthead on 5 May. "That was very painful," recalls Beccaria. When asked whether this Transat CIC was the toughest race he had ever contested, Beccaria said in the first winner's interview with the organisers: "There were some very tough moments, but in the end I didn't think it was that tough overall. The conditions were pleasant in that we were prepared for the worst. For me, the Route du Rhum was tougher, there were more difficult upwind sections. In the end the conditions were good, but it was very, very exhausting. The periods without wind were very, very exhausting and it was cold, very cold at times."

I love single-handed racing, but I also love people" (Ambrogio Beccaria)

Ambrogio Beccaria bowed to his strong challenger Ian Lipinski, who crossed the finish line a good two hours after him, with the utmost respect: "Ian rode such a great race. I knew from the start that he was one of the strongest in the race. He knows the boat so well, he knows how to sail single-handed and he has a lot of energy. And in the end it was good for Ian because he's very, very fast on a strong downwind. It was one of the key moments when he tore one of his spinnakers, which he calls Pumba, with the A6. He lost a lot by losing that spinnaker. I love sailing against him, he's always attacking."

Class 40 best before the last Imocas at the finish line

Ambrogio Beccaria is looking forward to the reception at the pontoon of honour in the One 15° Marina, around 110 nautical miles from the finish line, where the Imoca champions Yoann Richomme ("Paprec Arkéa"), Boris Herrmann ("Malizia - Seaexplorer") and Samantha Davies ("Initiatives Cœur") have just been celebrated, for one reason in particular: "I'm looking forward to meeting people! I put a lot of energy and effort into my races and I want to share them with everyone, with other people. I love single-handed regattas, but I also love people."

Ambrogio Beccaria was quicker to the finish than four Imoca soloists who were still fighting to make it to the finish line: "Nexans - Wewise" skipper Fabrice Amedeo was expected to finish next, ahead of Denis Van Weynberg on "D'leteren Group". The Swiss Oliver Heer still had around 860 nautical miles to cover after his knockdown, the subsequent blackout and agonisingly slow progress on Friday morning. "L'Occitane en Provence" skipper Clarisse Crémer has not yet left the Azores after repairs, but has announced her departure.

Click here for the live tracker with the results and interim results.

Ambrogio Beccaria and "Alla Grande Pirelli" on the way to the finish - scenes from the day at sea before the big victory: