Luna Rossa claimed victory at the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta Sardinia after defeating Emirates Team New Zealand in a dramatic match race final in Cagliari as reported by afloat, link here for the article. Racing on the Bay of Angels ended in near-perfect conditions with 10-14 knots of breeze and large crowds lining the waterfront for the concluding day of competition.
The regatta finale followed a tense battle through the fleet racing series. Luna Rossa’s Women & Youth Team, helmed by Marco Gradoni and Margherita Porro, had led much of the week but suffered two costly over-the-line penalties on the final day. Their disqualification in race seven and another OCS penalty in race eight ended hopes of an all-Luna Rossa final.
Home Advantage — Luna Rossa powers ahead of Emirates Team New Zealand during the decisive final day of racing in the Bay of Angels, Cagliari. Photo: Ian Roman
That left the senior Luna Rossa crew of Peter Burling, Ruggero Tita, Umberto Molineris and Vittorio Bissaro to face Emirates Team New Zealand in a winner-takes-all showdown.
A key moment came 52 seconds before the start when Emirates Team New Zealand skipper Nathan Outteridge failed to cover Luna Rossa’s move back towards the line. The Kiwis were then ruled over early at the pin end and forced to drop behind the Italians after the gun.
Luna Rossa controlled the six-leg contest from there and crossed the finish 33 seconds ahead to secure the title in front of a large home crowd.
Three-time America’s Cup winner Peter Burling said the team had improved steadily during the regatta. “I’m super-proud of the way we did that under quite a bit of pressure,” he said. “We were gutted we couldn’t race our Youth and Women’s team in the final. They’ve been really setting the benchmark all week.”
Foiling Duel — Luna Rossa and Emirates Team New Zealand race at high speed during the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta Sardinia in Cagliari. Photo: Ian Roman
Luna Rossa CEO Max Sirena described the result as “a bittersweet victory” after the disappointment suffered by the Women & Youth crew. “Every time you win, you should enjoy the victory,” he said. “I will never thank enough Cagliari, Sardinia, and all the fans for coming here for this weekend.”
Outteridge admitted Emirates Team New Zealand had made crucial errors in the pre-start. “We were about 0.8 of a second early for the pin in the end,” he said. “That’s the difference between thinking fleet racing for a whole week and then being thrust into the match race.”
The regatta now moves towards the next Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta in Naples in September 2026.
