Luna Rossa won the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta Sardinia after defeating Emirates Team New Zealand in the final match race on home waters in Cagliari. The Italian team secured victory in front of a large local crowd after a closely fought regatta that went down to the final fleet race before the match-racing showdown.
Three teams remained in contention for the final entering the last day of racing. Emirates Team New Zealand, Luna Rossa and Luna Rossa Women & Youth were separated by just two points before the deciding fleet race. Conditions on the Gulf of Cagliari delivered steady 10-12-knot southerly winds and flat water, creating fast, tactical racing where small mistakes carried heavy penalties.
Race seven proved decisive for Luna Rossa Women & Youth, who were disqualified after starting early and failing to complete their penalties despite repeated umpire calls. That result tightened the standings and set up a tense final qualifying race.
Emirates Team New Zealand battled closely with Luna Rossa throughout the final fleet race but lost ground after a tight crossing with Tudor Team Alinghi forced the Kiwi crew back into disturbed air and traffic.
Emirates Team New Zealand secured a place in the final match race before finishing runners-up to Luna Rossa at the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta Sardinia. Photo: Ivo Rovira
Luna Rossa capitalised to move clear and secure their place in the final. Emirates Team New Zealand crossed the line in fifth place, narrowly advancing to the match race ahead of Luna Rossa Women & Youth by a single point.
The Emirates Team New Zealand Women & Youth crew, skippered by Jake Pye with Erica Dawson as co-helm, finished fifth overall.
The final saw Nathan Outteridge face Peter Burling in a high-pressure pre-start duel. Both boats were approaching the line early, but Emirates Team New Zealand dropped off the foils while attempting to control the pin-end approach. The mistake handed Luna Rossa an immediate lead of around 100 metres.
Outteridge, Seb Menzies, Andy Maloney and Iain Jensen pushed hard to recover, but Luna Rossa controlled the race with disciplined match-racing tactics and protected their advantage to the finish.
The victory handed Luna Rossa overall honours at the Sardinia regatta and continued the strong form of the Italian team ahead of the next phase of America’s Cup competition.
Final results from the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta Sardinia, with Luna Rossa first and Emirates Team New Zealand second. Photo: Ricardo Pinto
