Luna Rossa Challenge has collected its third point of the Louis Vuitton Cup, the America’s Cup Challenger Series, after its scheduled opponent, Artemis Racing, was disqualified by the umpires. Luna Rossa was on the upwind leg when the word came from the umpires. The Italian AC72 recorded a top speed of 38.37 knots on the first reach leg of the course.
Tomorrow, Luna Rossa Challenge is scheduled to race Emirates Team New Zealand with the start set for 12:15 pm PT.
UPDATE: 1030 hours
Italy’s Luna Rossa Challenge is scheduled to sail the five-leg America’s Cup course today. But with the wind forecast to build into the 20s during the race, it looks to be an abbreviated contest.
Luna Rossa’s scheduled opponent, Artemis Racing, is still working towards a launch date next week and won’t be on the racecourse. Since Luna Rossa is sailing the course solo, it has requested that Artemis Racing be disqualified 10 minutes after the start under Rule 60.5 of the ISAF Racing Rules of Sailing America’s Cup edition.
The teams agreed before the start of the round robins, when it was clear Artemis Racing would not be sailing, that they could make this request to the umpires.
“The weather forecast is for the breeze to increase, and we’re expecting 18 to 22 knots,” said Regatta Director Iain Murray. “Coupled with a slight ebb tide on the Bay, our windspeed limit today will be 19.8 knots.
“In order to complete the race, Luna Rossa advised us last night that they would like to black flag the race which means the umps disqualify Artemis Racing and award the race to Luna Rossa 10 minutes after the start,” Murray continued. “There is also the possibility that the wind limit is breached prior to the start, at which point we’ll have to abandon activities and reschedule for Monday, a reserve day.”
Tomorrow, Luna Rossa and Emirates Team New Zealand are scheduled to race at 12:15 pm PT.
Luna Rossa crew list
Skipper/pit: Max Sirena, Helmsman: Chris Draper, Tactician: Francesco Bruni, Wing trimmer: Xabi Fernandez, Trimmer: Pierluigi de Felice, Bow: Nick Hutton, Freestyle: Marco Montis, Grinders: Lele Marino, Gilles Scott, Wade Morgan, David Carr.
ORIGINAL POST: Friday, July 19
The speed potential of the AC72 undoubtedly has room to grow. On Thursday, Emirates Team New Zealand upped the top recorded speed to 44.15 knots, a .89-knot increase over its previous record. On Saturday, Italy’s Luna Rossa Challenge gets an opportunity to increase its top recorded speed of 36.13 knots, and the conditions should be ripe to raise the bar yet again.
With triple-digit temperatures forecast inland, strong winds are expected on the Bay. But the AC72 doesn’t need a lot of wind to do its thing. Emirates Team New Zealand set the top mark in winds that peaked at 15.8 knots. The point of sail is the key ingredient. The Kiwis have set their top three speeds on the first or last reaching legs, and the Italians set their top speed on the final reaching leg.
The Italians, however, are focused on improving their crew maneuvers. Skipper Max Sirena said earlier this week that the team’s upcoming races against Emirates Team New Zealand (on Sunday and Tuesday) are important to gauge their development. The two teams sailed a pair of practice races on Wednesday and Luna Rossa was also out practicing yesterday. Neither team was out today.
“We need to maximize our time on the water, so we’re sailing as much as possible,” Sirena said on Tuesday. “We want to be in better condition for our race against the Kiwis.”
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