Young Azzurra wins the final Grand Prix of the Persico 69F Cup
by Yacht Club Costa Smeralda 4 Oct 2021 00:14 BST
1-3 October 2021
Young Azzurra racing, Grand Prix 4.1 Persico 69F Cup © 69F Media / Marta Rovatti Studihrad
On the final day of the Grand Prix 4.1 Persico 69F Cup, after a total of eight races held, Young Azzurra has claimed the top spot on the podium. This is the fourth Grand Prix of the circuit that the team has won in 2021, starting with the first in Malcesine in April, two legs held in July in Porto Cervo, and finally this last event in Puntaldia.
The first two days of the Grand Prix 4.1 were characterised by very light airs, with no races held at all on day one. Yesterday two races were completed, with Young Azzurra taking a win and a second-place finish to lead the provisional overall classification. Today the nine teams taking part completed a further six races, with a south-easterly wind that rose from 8 knots at the start of racing to reach 18 knots. Following a complicated start, Young Azzurra took fourth place in the first race. The next two races brought two second places and a hard-fought duel with team Balthasar. In the fourth and fifth races Young Azzurra sailed perfectly and crossed the line ahead of the Belgian team. A sixth place in the final race of the day was enough for the team representing the YCCS to clinch victory in the overall classification in this final leg of the Persico 69F Cup. Second place overall went to Okalys Youth Project, followed by Chinaone Ningbo in third.
Gabriele Bruni, coach of the Young Azzurra team: "I'm very happy with how this regatta has gone, we were able to try out a new configuration, we knew it would be complex but useful. At the minute we have a configuration designed to deal with light winds, with the two girls on board along with the helmsman Ettore Botticini, making the team lighter and faster. In the one we tried out in this regatta, however, we moved Erica Ratti and Francesca Bergamo to the role of flight controller, alternating on board, with Federico Colaninno on the mainsail. The results were excellent, compared to the other victories in the Grand Prix events, we won this leg with a bigger points margin over the other teams.
Michael Illbruck, YCCS Commodore: "Congratulations to the Young Azzurra team for the excellent result! The crew has improved their performance and Gabriele Bruni's support has been an important factor. With the new configuration we can see an interesting margin for development, which could make the difference with the final of the Youth Foiling Gold Cup approaching in Cagliari."
The next sporting event for Young Azzurra will be the Youth Foiling Gold Cup in Cagliari from 21 to 31 October, followed by the grand finale, taking place from 1 to 3 November in the same location.
More information at yccs.it/en/young-azzurra