The Rolex Sail GP in Los Angeles, Italy and the “curse” of eighth place

The Chinese say that the more number 8s there are, the better the luck will be. I hope this also applies to the Red Bull Italy team, which is engaged in Los Angeles in the 4th leg of the Rolex Sail GP circuit. During the two days of practice (March 15 and 16), Ruggero Tita’s team consistently placed 8th, a position it also maintains in the overall circuit ranking. Along with Tita, the team is composed as follows: Kyle Langford (wing trimmer), Andrea Tesei (flight controller), Enrico Voltolini (grinder), Alex Sinclair (grinder), Brad Farrand (grinder), Maelle Frascari (strategist), Jimmy Spithill (CEO).

It is not easy to fly at the Rolex Sail GP!

Following these regattas, each time I realize that taking an AC50 cat flying is really complex. It is very easy to make mistakes, break down, have damage and take penalties that then drag on for the next stages.

Especially in a race course like Los Angeles, where the harbor course is among the most challenging on the circuit because of limited space. Where the weather conditions are really variable and generate a lot of technical difficulties. In the early evening on Saturday the wind was clement while on Sunday’s evening it caused several falls from the foils.

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Back to the Italian team, Tita is learning and moving up the rankings. Above all, our Olympic champion pays extreme attention to maintaining proper behavior on the court and not taking risks.

As did the Danes of Rockwool on Saturday, who, in the first race, tacked their T foil into a buoy and had to return to port with a damaged spoiler and 12 penalty points. And who lost Sunday’s race.

Nations to beat

The final victory of the first U.S. leg went to Giles Scott’s Canada, ahead of New Zealand and Australia, but the real stars of this California weekend were Peter Burling’s Black Foils, practically resurrected after the disappointment of the two legs ‘down under’ . The NewZealand team won five podiums out of eight races, thanks in part to spectacular starts by Burling, who even collected an early start and a second place on the first day.

The second day saw the Canadians dominate thanks in part to a series of mistakes by the Black Foils and the fact that the Australians could not maintain a steady flight. At the end of the trials in Los Angeles, the overall standings after four legs saw Dylan Fletcher’s Great Britain in the lead, followed by Tom Slingsby’s Australia and New Zealand.

And now Rolex Sail GP in San Francisco

Fifth leg of the circuit next weekend in San Francisco where the bay is usually characterized by tense winds and the racing will be decidedly technical. The team led by Quentin Delapierre rose to prominence because Coalition Capital, the company of world soccer champion Kylian Mbappé, decided to invest in the French SailGP team.

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In foreign magazines and newspapers, on the other hand, the decision of the City of Taranto to forgo the Italian leg of SailGP on September 6 and 7 was looked upon with amazement. The municipality reported that it had to drop the event due to budget problems. Normally, SailGP puts tickets on sale to watch the event live and the local offices have to have the necessary grandstands set up. Cost considered unsustainable by the municipality.

Ida Castiglioni