2026 Range Rover Sardinia Cup Day 5 - RORC leads team standings ahead of YCCS
by Yacht Club Costa Smeralda 6 Jun 19:03 BST
31 May - 7 June 2026
Day five of the Range Rover Sardinia Cup, and a Mistral blowing at 18 to 24 knots under glorious sunshine delivered the type of perfect conditions, often referred to as champagne sailing, that make Porto Cervo one of the preferred destinations for sailors from around the world.
The Race Committee had again scheduled two windward-leeward races for the day, leaving a coastal race for tomorrow, 7 June, the final day of the competition. The overall standings have now tightened considerably with the application of the discard rule for the worst result in the windward-leeward races.
The warning signal sounded for the SC1 fleet at 12 noon CEST, with SC2 following shortly after. The breeze was more stable than the previous day, making the left-hand side of the course, closer to the coastline, more favourable upwind. Racing was once again characterised by tight mark roundings, with the fleet bunched together, and adrenaline-charged planing runs, much to the delight of competitors and spectators alike. The less gusty wind and calmer sea, however, spared the crews the manoeuvring difficulties that had tested some of the competitors yesterday.
In SC1, the RORC Gold team's Jolt 3 won both races of the day while Ino Veritas (RORC) and Django WR (YCCS) traded second and third place across the two races. Jolt 3 executed consistently excellent starts, as did Django WR, particularly in the second race when they flew off the line, perfectly on time on the left side of the course. In the overall standings, James Neville's Ino Veritas, with Dean Barker on tactics, remains firmly in the lead of the provisional standings, followed by Giovanni Lombardi Stronati's Django WR, with tactician Vasco Vascotto, and Roberto Lacorte's RocketNikka, with "Rufo" Bressani in the role of tactician.
The SC2 classification bears witness to the near-absolute dominance of Ran, owned by Niklas Zennström and with Adrian Stead calling tactics. With a string of victories, they enjoyed the unusual pleasure of discarding a first-place finish as their "worst" result. Second place goes to Per Roman's Garm, with Gustavo Martinez as tactician, followed just one point behind by Django JP, helmed by Alberto Bolzan with Michele Ivaldi on tactics.
In the team standings, which will determine the winner of the Range Rover Sardinia Cup, the RORC team leads with 22 points, followed by YCCS on 30 points and RORC Gold on 39.3. All will be decided tomorrow in the final coastal race.
Significantly lighter winds are forecast. The first warning signal is scheduled for 12 noon CEST.
Racing will be followed by the prize-giving ceremony in Piazza Azzurra.