There are now eight days left before theAmerica’s Cup. Luna Rossa, winner of the Prada Cup after beating the Britons of Ineos Team UK 7-1 in the final, he will face the Emirates Team New Zealand trophy holders. In Auckland they will be the hosts starting favorites, also strong gods precedents of the past.
Only wonders are being told about Te Rehutai. It looks like the so-called perfect boat, the one with which every helmsman dreams of sailing. The voices follow one another and, every day, it seems that it is able to reach ever higher and dizzying speeds. The well-known English blogger Magnus Wheatley even claims that, with strong wind, the New Zealanders are able to touch 62 knots, that is almost 115 km / h. Science fiction, one would think, especially when recalling Max Sirena’s statements from last week: “These AC75 boats will easily go 60 knots from the next edition“. Already, from the next edition, therefore probably in 2024. It is possible that Team New Zealand is at this point ahead of years not only on Luna Rossa, but also on Ineos UK and American Magic? Will we see in the water a sort of second generation AC75, which has adopted solutions still unknown to the opponents?
We will only find out on March 6, but it is more than likely (if not sure) that Red Moon know the answer. All teams have observers who follow the training of the opponents daily and acquire their data. Mind you: everything is absolutely regular and no rules are violated. As reported by the New Zealand newspaper Stuff, Francesco Bruni, co-helmsman of the Prada Team Pirelli, admitted that the activity of ‘espionage’ is incessant: “We are watching what New Zealanders do every day. They look at us and we look at them. We have watched them very carefully and we know that we are sure to have a good fight against them“.
Although now too distant in time to be reliable, the Sicilian then focused on the two regattas held in December against the Kiwis during the World Series, both lost by Red Moon: “We had an excellent race with the New Zealanders in light winds. We lost, but we were ahead for most of the race. I’m sure we will be competitive in light winds“.
Bruni is aware that the values on the pitch can change quickly and development will be decisive of the boats ahead of March 6: “We saw that the Brits weren’t very comfortable in light winds, but within a week they improved a lot. So everything is evolving quickly and I think we’ll get ready for the Kiwis. I think it will be very difficult, they were really strong 4 years ago in Bermuda. It’s tough to take on the Kiwis in New Zealand. But we will give everything we have, it is a great opportunity“.
Photo: Luna Rossa Press
–