At the only board in the world signed Lamborghini (designed by the Centro Stile to ride waves of over 20 meters), the first Italian surfer to arrive in Nazaré, a corner of paradise in Portugal, joins the super SUV of Sant’Agata Bolognese
It is an almost touching story that of Nazaré, a small paradise corner of Portugal: what for decades was a simple fishing village, today is the best place in the world where you can face giant waves. A transformation, that of the pretty village of Nazaré, which today thrives on tourism and activities still linked to the port, which began when Garrett McNamara – a professional big waves surfer – was convinced to go in person to see what a municipal official claimed, that is, that in Nazaré there were the biggest waves in the world.
Nazaré, the security system
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Between 2004 and 2011 McNamara sets up a real safety organizational structure because he realizes not only that what the municipal official said in the email was real, but that there are also enormous risks in riding these waves, generated by the canyon. 5,000-meter submarine located near the Portuguese coast, and therefore with a high probability not only of being centrifuged among the industrial quantity of foam generated by the waves that wind around themselves, but also of shattering against the rocks. Impossible to go out into the sea without the help of jet skis, indeed: in addition to the one that pulls the surfer, there is an emergency one. And from the highest point on the coast, where there is the best view of the sea, a supervisor communicates via radio to the jet ski riders what comes next. Because between one wave of 20 meters and another, it’s like being in Manhattan and not seeing the next skyscraper.
The arrival of Marcianò in Nazaré
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In the years to come, the records followed one another (currently the 25-meter wave by Rodrigo Koxa is in the Guinness Book of Records), but it is in 2011 that the Nazaré phenomenon explodes, thanks to the record of Garrett McNamara for the highest wave in the world ever ridden up to that moment, 23.77 meters. The most famous surfers in the world begin to arrive and the first Italian to set foot on a wave of Nazaré, in 2015, is Alessandro Marcianò, who now lives six months in Portugal (the winter season, when there are more frequent storm surges) and six months in Italy, near Rome. He liked this place so much, these people, these waves and this bond that the locals have with their sea, that he started a family in Nazaré.
the Italian binomial
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Marcianò holds the record for the highest wave ever surfed by an Italian, made official at 18 meters. Officialized because he swears he took higher ones, “in particular one of about 23 meters in 2017, but the height has not been confirmed”. We will see it later, but surfing is a team game more than you think, so much so that a great surfer without a good photographer who witnesses the ride is not a great surfer. In 2019 Alessandro collaborated with the Lamborghini Style Center to create the only surfboard signed by the Sant’Agata Bolognese company and in 2022, just before our press trip to Portugal organized by the Centro del Turismo de Portugal, he received from the company the super Suv Urus. A duo, that Marcianò-Lamborghini, all made in Italy and happy to represent Italy in the maximum possible expression in the specialty of big waves.
The Lamborghini surfboard
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As mentioned, the Marcianò table is a unique piece. “Something to be proud of – explains Alessandro Marcianò – because as a surfer, having a board that has been studied by the Centro Stile in terms of design is a source of pride and satisfaction”. The board was created thanks to Alessandro’s two shapers: “We have created a magic board with materials in carbon, PVC, lead, epoxy and special resins to be resistant to extreme conditions and reach speeds of 70/80 km / h”. The Style Center has worked on the graphics that reflect the layout of the Urus, in particular the yellow triangles on the table. “After a series of tests we chose the graphic sketch that we liked the most”. And the final result is a board weighing 11.5 kg and with a height of 180 cm to challenge giant waves over 20 meters.
Yamaha jet ski
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But to ride waves of this type, as anticipated, due to the difficult conditions of Nazaré it is necessary to use a jet ski to get to the epicenter of the big waves. “Between surfers we swap roles – continues Marcianò – pulling each other. We take turns driving the jet ski and then on the board, it’s a team game much more than you might think”. But not just any watercraft, even that was a choice designed ad hoc: “We use the Yamaha FX Svho, 1.8 turbo engine with 260 hp of maximum power. We need exactly that model because it guarantees maximum reliability and combines the right power. large size of the boat. It is a three-seater model, which guarantees a certain weight and a certain size to tackle foam walls of 5 or 6 meters. The approximately 360 kg are well distributed and there is not too much electronics. : it’s good, because it can be annoying and no one wants to have them out there. Travel over 70 knots (130 km / h, ed) on flat water. Surfing in Nazaré is doing something very much related to motorsport: garage, radio , helmets, protections, petrol, jet skis, it almost seems to be inside a paddock with the mechanics who prepare the bikes and everything else “.
The unique staging of the Urus
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We know the Lamborghini Urus well: the first super Suv of the Casa del Toro is a mix of explosiveness capable of tackling any terrain and situation, from the track to adventures where the asphalt ends. The 4-liter V8 petrol engine with 650 hp is a symphony for the ears and in racing mode the roar becomes as angry as on few other cars in the world. “The union between the Urus and my activities in the water – argues Alessandro Marcianò – is the sense of freedom that you feel. A feeling that I find both at sea and driving the super SUV. And since I started big wave riding the the connection between the two worlds is total: on the Urus we talk about power, speed, performance and adrenaline. All characteristics that I find when I am at sea “. And the two worlds, that of Sant’Agata Bolognese cars and that of surfing, meet every day: “It is the ideal car to do my business, because it is comfortable and spacious, I can load the boards inside. , carry luggage racks and tow my jet ski with the retractable towbar “. And with Terra, Sand and Snow driving modes added to Road, Sport and Racing, tackling rough or sandy terrain is never a problem. “Here in Nazaré – continues Marcianò – they see me as a person who has managed to bring a world brand to this place and I think it pleases them too that such a prestigious brand has decided to follow a surfer in Nazaré”.
Land of motorsport
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Portugal is not only sea and tourism, but also engines: it is no secret that there are some of the most evocative circuits in the world – Estoril and Portimao – but also km and km of dirt road, where you can carry out off-road activities both with two than with four wheels, such as enduro or buggy excursions. The Portuguese stage, for the EnduroGP World Championship, is a great classic and in 2022 there will even be two rounds: from 13 to 15 May in the Peso da Regua area, inland east of Porto; and from 1 to 3 July in the Coimbra area, 110 km north of Nazaré, after the Italian GP (24-26 June) in Carpineti. Not only that: the Motocross World Championship will also arrive in Portugal, on the weekend of April 3 in Agueda. The WRC World Championship, on the other hand, will be in Porto from 19 to 22 May, while the European Rally ran the Rally Serras De Fafe on the weekend of 12 and 13 March and will return to Portuguese territory for the Rally of the Azores on 26 and 27 March.
High-altitude emotions
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The press trip organized by the Tourism of Portugal was also an opportunity to fully discover the Portuguese territory and its traditions, starting with the culinary ones and then moving on to the landscape ones. Those on the big waves, in fact, are not the only high-altitude emotions that can be experienced in Portugal: in Arouca, for example, in 2021 the pedestrian suspension bridge was inaugurated – 516 meters long and at a height of 175 meters – largest in the world. The bridge is 1.20 meters wide and consists of 127 slabs of 4 meters long each: they are metal gratings joined by a rigid net and with a steel wire handrail. It crosses the Paiva River and is part of the Unesco world geopark of the same name together with the Aguieiras Waterfall. Located an hour’s drive from Porto, the building was awarded the World Travel Awards in 2021 as the best European attraction for tourism development. From design to construction, it is an entirely Portuguese work. In short, a land to discover and experience, not only for surfers who with Tap Air Portugal, a surf-friendly airline that allows athletes to bring their own board with them during the flight, have Portugal “at hand”, but also for all those who love motorsport in contact with nature. A nature, in this case, enchanting.
March 14, 2022 – 18:26
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