Italy’s Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli dominant on Youth America’s Cup day 2

Toby Heppell

The Youth America's Cup saw the Italian team continue their dominant form from day 1 to top the tables again on day 2

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The second day of the UniCredit Youth America’s Cup in Barcelona got underway on Wednesday 18 September. Conditions continued to be challenging, with shifting winds of 8 to 14 knots and a sea state approaching a meter, testing the sailors’ tactical and technical abilities.

Italy’s Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team, led by Marco Gradoni and Gianluigi Ugolini, secured two consecutive wins, solidifying their lead in Group A.

In the first race of the day, American Magic and Orient Express L’Oreal Racing Team were unable to compete due to technical difficulties with their boats – a disappointing element to the Youth America’s Cup racing that seems to be a continual problem for the one-design AC40 fleet. These teams will receive average series points, which could prove crucial on the final standings.

The absence of the French and American crews left four teams — Italy, Switzerland, New Zealand, and Great Britain — to compete. Emirates Team New Zealand initially took the lead, rounding the first gate ahead, with Athena Pathway and Luna Rossa in close pursuit.

However, Luna Rossa capitalised on errors by both the British and the New Zealand teams during the downwind leg, allowing them to overtake and maintain their position for the rest of the race. They crossed the finish line at 30 knots, 500 meters ahead of the competition. Athena Pathway finished second, while Emirates Team New Zealand came in third.

In the second race, Luna Rossa once again took control early, pulling away from the fleet after a strong start. Although Emirates Team New Zealand initially posed a challenge, errors on the first downwind leg allowed the Italians to extend their lead.

The battle for second place was closely contested between Athena Pathway and Alinghi Red Bull Racing, with the British team ultimately edging ahead on the final leg to claim their second runner-up position of the day.

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Luna Rossa’s two victories extended their lead at the top of the Group A standings to 12 points, with American Magic in second and Athena Pathway in third. Despite their strong performance, Luna Rossa’s helmsman Gianluigi Ugolini remained focused on the upcoming races. “We are sailing well, but we are just focusing on our next races,” he explained. “The team is working to do our best and we’re happy with the performance but just focussing on the next few days and we just talk about improving our sailing skills.”

“We haven’t done much sailing in these big conditions, so we are just focusing on our boat-handling, and we are not talking about the points at the moment. For sure it would be a beautiful thing to win the UniCredit Youth America’s Cup, but at the moment we cannot think that far ahead, we are just thinking about qualifying for the semi-final.”

With four more races to go for the America’s Cup teams in Group A, attention will soon shift to Group B, who were set to begin their races Thursday, but who’s racing has now been pushed back to make space for the Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Final between American Magic and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, which will roll into it’s fifth day of racing on Thursday.

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