Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Advances to Semi-Finals at the UniCredit Youth America’s Cup
by Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli 23 Sep 09:55 PDT
23 September 2024
Day 6 – Group A – UniCredit Youth America’s Cup – September 23, 2024 – Barcelona © Ian Roman / America’s Cup
With five victories in eight races, the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli youth team finishes the first selection series of the UniCredit Youth America’s Cup in first place, establishing themselves as the team to beat in the upcoming Semi-Final Series scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday, September 24.
Following several weather-related postponements, the third and final selection day for Group A was held in tough yet breathtaking conditions. The AC40s reached speeds surpassing 40 knots on the water while sailing in nearly 20 knots of wind, foiling through large waves and heavy rain. As anticipated, all six competing teams participated in fierce and closely fought regattas. At the conclusion of the qualifying rounds, the bottom three teams were eliminated, while the top three advanced to the Semi-finals.
RACE#05
Luna Rossa launched well from the right side of the line, sailing evenly with the other boats during the first beat, but quickly found the optimal conditions to break away from the fleet, challenging the French team that rounded the first mark in the lead. Luna Rossa trailed by just 2 seconds and capitalized on excellent downwind speed to pull ahead, defending against challenges from USA and NZL. The combination of Gradoni and Ugolini showcased exceptional boat handling as they navigated the AC40 through the well-formed waves without losing lift, rounding the second gate with a 4-second lead. From there, Luna Rossa maintained the lead and crossed the finish line first, earning another 10 points in the standings.
Luna Rossa: 1st place (+ 10 points).
RACE#06
In a race that began similarly to the previous one, Luna Rossa positioned itself far right on the line and capitalized on a favorable wind shift to take the lead. After a series of narrow encounters with the other teams, Luna Rossa rounded the first mark only 2 seconds behind NZL. Once again, the Italian crew demonstrated excellent downwind handling, successfully protesting the New Zealand boat and taking the lead at the subsequent gate. From that moment, Luna Rossa remained in front, avoiding mistakes and stifling any attempts by the Kiwi team to rally, earning another 10 points and securing advancement to the next round.
Luna Rossa: 1st place (+ 10 points)
RACE#07
After a fall from the foils just seconds before the start and receiving a penalty for OCS, Luna Rossa couldn’t bridge the gap and finished the race in last place.
Luna Rossa: 6th position (+1 point).
RACE#08
Despite incurring a penalty at the start, Luna Rossa quickly recovered, moving to the right side of the course and rounding the first gate in second place. On the subsequent downwind and upwind legs, the crew, led by Marco Gradoni and Gianluigi “Gigi” Ugolini, managed to close in on the other boats, rounding the third gate in third place— a position they maintained until the finish line.
Luna Rossa: 3rd place (+5 points).
The Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli crew included: Marco Gradoni and Gianluigi Ugolini (helmsmen), Federico Colaninno and Rocco Falcone (trimmers).
