In Cagliari Burling and Tita finished the last two fleet races with a 1st and a 2nd place and then dominated the final match race against New Zealand. Gray Luna Rossa of Gradoni and Porro make two wrong starts and after dominating two days they exit the scene
Peter Burling and Ruggero Tita – together with the sail trimmers Bissaro and Molineris – live their perfect Sunday and manage to win the first stage of the preliminary regattas in Cagliari on board the blue Luna Rossa (the second round in Naples at the end of September while between February and March 2027 there could be a stage in Greece). The three-time winner of the America’s Cup and the two-time Olympic champion first closed the last two fleet races with a first and a second place and then dominated the final match race against New Zealand thanks to a perfect start that pushed the Kiwis to cross the starting line with a second to spare. The resulting penalty gives the Italian boat an advantage that the New Zealanders will never be able to recover despite the Italian team falling from the foils at the end of the fourth leg of the race.
disappointment
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Instead, Luna Rossa Grigio’s race ends unexpectedly: clearly first for two days of racing, Marco Gradoni and Margherita Porro made a mistake in both starts on the last day of fleet racing and compromised their lead in the standings. In the first start they jumped one second but, having not served the penalty due to a software malfunction, they were disqualified. In the second regatta, same mistake: early start, return to the starting line and the accumulated seconds of delay were decisive: one point behind the New Zealanders (60 to 59) the young talents of Luna Rossa said goodbye to their dreams of glory.
dream
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This concludes the three days that opened the path to the 38th America’s Cup scheduled from May to July next year in Naples. A three-day event that showcased all the potential of the Italian team in pursuit of a trophy that has never been won in Italy. But be careful, in a year the boats will change because we will be competing with the Ac75s and not the Ac40s: tonnage and length will double. But we can start to dream of dispelling one of the last taboos in Italian sport.
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