The Luna Rossa senior team dominate the final day of the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta, Naples.
Sailing in AC40 one designs the Italian AC38 challenger won the final two fleet races and then totally dominated the Match Race final against Emirates Team New Zealand.
Luna Rossa helms Peter Burling and Marco Gradoni, with trimmers Maria Giubilei and Gianluigi Ugolini, won the two final fleet races Sunday bringing their total to four wins from eight races, and leading the nine strong fleet by 15 pts.
They then faced the Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ) of helms Nathan Outteridge and Seb Menzies and trimmers Andy Maloney and Iain Jensen, who while taking second place had not managed a single race win.
The Match was a repeat of the first Preliminary Regatta, Sardinia back in May, and was to end with the same result.
The start was the key and Luna Rossa elected to come in from the port side of the line, leaving ETNZ to bear-away on starboard gybe in from the right-hand marker buoy, 10 seconds later.
ETNZ failed to get a hook on the Italian boat and tacked away to the starboard end of the line whilst Luna Rossa crossed at full pace and seized the initiative . . . never to relinquish it.
Luna Rossa tacked over to cover the Kiwis on the right and from then it was a classic cover situation. Burling and Gradoni gradually extended their lead over the next five legs to more than 200 metres.
Nothing Nathan Outteridge and Seb Menzies could do reduced the lead, Burling and Gradoni handling was immaculate giving the Kiwis no chance to get close, doomed to sail in their shadow.
At the finish Emirates Team New Zealand had a 17 sec, 300+ lead.
Earlier the Emirates Team New Zealand Women & Youth squad, skippered by Jake Pye, delivered a strong regatta, including a race win, to secure fifth overall in the fleet racing and lifted the Women & Youth trophy.
