Persico 69F - Grand Prix 4 cancelled
by Persico 69F 6 Nov 2020 05:38 GMT
Persico 69F Grand Prix 3.1 in Malcesine © Persico 69F / Studio Borlenghi
The cancellation of Grand Prix 4 - the sixth regatta of the Persico 69F CUP circuit scheduled for next week in Porto Cervo - has been confirmed today. The organizers, together with the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, having assessed the evolution of the health situation in relation to Covid-19 and the complexities associated with the containment measures of the pandemic, have chosen to end the first season ahead of schedule.
The results of the Persico 69F CUP after the third Grand Prix, held in Malcesine at the end of September, therefore becomes definitive and sees Roberto Lacorte on FlyingNikka 47 as the first overall winner of the CUP, alongside Lorenzo Bressani and Enrico Zennaro.
Second place goes to the crew of Lacorte's team, FlyingNikka 74 (Alessio Razeto, Lorenzo De Felice, Andrea Fornaro), with third place awarded to the Kingdom Team Netherlands, standard-bearer of the Dutch yacht club KWVL (Odile van Aanholt, Emma Savelon, Jorden van Rooijen, Bart Lambriex and the Italian Guido Gallinaro).
"Congratulations to Roberto Lacorte and his team" - said Giorgio Benussi, Chief commercial officer of Coming Solutions, the company that conceived and gave life to the 69F project - "Lacorte's enthusiasm, commitment, desire to get involved has been an example and an inspiration to all of us, who in this first season worked with the aim of bringing innovation to the world of sailing. The sporting results are evident, so much so that we expect an impressive leap in quality and a wider international foray, thanks to the success and interest received from this seasons events. Thanks also to Yacht Club Costa Smeralda who were prepared to host the closing event of the season in November, providing us with ideal conditions to race at our best: but we will be back in July 2021, when the YCCS will host the Grand Prix 2 of the next, highly anticipated season".
Michael Illbruck, Commodore of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, had these words: "We're well aware that in times like these, health comes first. We're looking forward to hosting the Persico 69F fleet next year when Young Azzurra will be here to welcome them, and we can't wait until sailing takes center stage once again in our home waters!"
Returning to the regatta results, the winners of the first edition of the Persico 69F CUP are the crews of the two Lacorte teams. "The FlyingNikka guys" - commented Dede De Luca, Chief Sailing Officer of the circuit - "immediately helped to raise the level of the competition: race after race we saw the circuit grow and the sailors develop a lot of techniques and improve their foiling skills, creating a 'virtuous circle', a growth shared by all teams that has led to an increase in entertainment, in excitement, and the purest competitive spirit".
"Closing the Persico 69F circuit in first and second place" - said Roberto Lacorte - "is truly a source of great pride and satisfaction, especially if we consider the level of the opponents we have faced during the year. It is the result of a well-defined program towards equally well-defined objectives. Surely we would have preferred to close the circuit by going into the water for the last scheduled event, but unfortunately the situation is what it is, so we can only adapt. The first compliments are for my two fellow teammates, Lorenzo Bressani and Enrico Zennaro, with whom I lived unforgettable moments of sport. Then to Alessio Razeto, Lorenzo de Felice and Andrea Fornaro, the rest of the team who really gave us a hard time on board the 74. Congratulations also to the organization of the championship and to those who had the brilliant idea of proposing something really modern, in line with the direction that the sailing of the third millennium is taking. This victory charges us and motivates us for next year" - added Lacorte - "when with the two FlyingNikkas we will defend this first and second place, in what will be undoubtedly an even more competitive and difficult circuit. Our participation in the 69F circuit will complement the SuperNikka successor project, on which we have already started to work. A project that will be innovative from all points of view and which will soon be a pleasure to share with fans".
In total, 40 teams raced in the first season of the 69F: of these, 17 were involved in the Persico 69F CUP and 30 in the two Revolution races, events that garnered attention in August for their innovative formula. The 69F team is also working on an international project that will be announced in the coming weeks, while the shipyards continue to work on the next one-design: soon the complete line-up will see six boats in the fleet of the 69F circuit, four in the Swiss market based in Geneva, one in Netherlands and one in Hong Kong.