Coached by a Frenchman, the Italians of the Luna Rossa challenge dominated the start of the preliminary rounds of the America’s Cup in Barcelona. Finalists of the last edition, they are counting on continuity to take their revenge on the New Zealand defender.
“We are a group with experience, where there is a lot of respect and an identical way of communicating. I am having a blast in my role as coach,” explains French sailor Philippe Presti, with a long list of achievements in the America’s Cup.
Tactician of the Italian challenge in 2007, after a long career in Olympic sailing, this Girondin with a clear gaze then went on to win the silver ewer twice as head coach with the Americans of Oracle (2013, 2017).
In 2021, he took Luna Rossa to the final of the world’s oldest sporting trophy, pushing the Kiwis to their limits in Auckland before ultimately losing seven races to three.
But far from being discouraged, the red and grey challenge, created in 1997 by the Italian Patrizio Bertelli – boss of the ready-to-wear brand Prada – has retained almost all of its strength and has returned to work for three years in its HQ in Cagliari.
– Reference challenger –
“We have invested a lot in the development of the new AC75, in mastering the IT tools and training the guys, not just the helmsmen, but also the shore team,” Presti said at the beginning of September under the Barcelona sun.
His men dominated the competition during the rounds of this preamble to the America’s Cup, used to designate Team New Zealand’s opponent. On the eve of the final day of racing on Sunday, the record is more than evocative: 6 victories and 1 defeat.
However, the Italians are not completely satisfied. “We are delighted with the position we occupy, but it is the beginning. There is potential, but also seconds to go and grab,” believes Presti.
On the water, most of the teams alternated between minor technical issues and tactical errors for ten days. Luna Rossa’s boat always flew on its foils, tacking cleanly and efficiently, regardless of the weather conditions.
“It’s surgical,” admits Thierry Douillard, the coach of the French team on Orient Express. “They are the benchmark challenger: a big team that is implementing its game plan, with two helmsmen who are used to sailing on these boats,” he judges.
– “Nothing is done” –
Like Presti, Italy’s Francesco Bruni and Australia’s James Spithill stayed on after last season, despite new drastic selections organised internally. Both have been competing in America’s Cups since the 2000s.
And they too prefer to play the humility card at this stage. “Nothing is done. We are sailing well, but all the teams are at a fairly similar level,” said Bruni on Thursday after a fifth consecutive victory.
“I’m sure there will still be ups and downs. We’ll have to have strong shoulders for the difficult moments,” he warned soberly. Only the English team from Ineos and the New Zealanders have managed to hold Luna Rossa in check since the start of these preliminary rounds.
But given that the Kiwis have already qualified for the grand final next October, as official defenders, the lost race did not count towards the overall standings.
The clash, however, served as a wake-up call for Presti and his troops. “If we just try to be the best of the challengers, it won’t be enough, we have to be better than the Kiwis,” said the coach.
After six campaigns, the Frenchman knows only too well the brutality of such a competition, which requires a significant financial investment: “You can do a Vendée Globe, finish last and tell a great story, but in the Cup, if you come 2nd, we’re going to throw tomatoes at you!”
fd/zub
