Burling’s Luna Rossa takes home win in America’s Cup World Series, Naples

Peter Burling’s new America’s Cup team prove they’ve got what it takes in the final AC40 America’s Cup world Series event

The second America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta concluded on the Bay of Naples with a dominant performance from local favourites Luna Rossa, who claimed the regatta title in front of the spectators who had turned out ion force along the waterfront.

Over three days of racing in conditions ranging from very light and shifty breezes to steady 11–14 knot winds, the fleet of AC40s delivered some impressive racing racing.

The Italian crew, helmed by Ex Team New Zealand helmsman (and three-time AC winner) Peter Burling showed impressive consistency to win alongside co-hhelmsman Marco Gradoni and trimmers Maria Giubilei and Gianluigi Ugolini.

After picking up wins in the final two fleet races on Sunday, Luna Rossa capped their performance with a textbook match-race victory over Emirates Team New Zealand to take the overall trophy.

Photo: Ricardo Pinto / America’s Cup

Match race final

Luna Rossa topped the fleet standings on 71 points, followed by Emirates Team New Zealand on 56 points, and France’s La Roche-Posay Racing Team impressing once again to round out the podium with 48 points.

The match-race final brought a tantalising duel between Luna Rossa and Emirates Team New Zealand, the latter helmed by Nathan Outteridge and Seb Menzies.

Entering the start line from port, Luna Rossa gained the upper hand early when the Kiwis proved slightly late with their final tack into the start line. Taking advantage of the split, Burling and Gradoni established a tight cover, forcing the Kiwis into dirty air upwind. Despite consistent tactical splits from the New Zealand crew across all five legs, Luna Rossa held a commanding 350-metre lead by the final downwind leg to cross the line untroubled by the Kiwis.

Photo: Ian Roman / America’s Cup

Elsewhere across the fleet

Emirates Team New Zealand: Despite falling short in the main event final, the Kiwis celebrated victory in the Women & Youth category. Skipper Jake Pye and co-helm Erica Dawson steered their crew to fifth place overall, edging out their rivals, the Italian Women & Youth team, in a close final fleet race to seal their division title.

La Roche-Posay Racing Team: The French team delivered a resilient performance, recovering from two capsizes across the weekend to secure two fleet race wins and third overall. Quentin Delapierre praised the shore crew’s rapid work to right and check the boat in just 12 minutes on Saturday, allowing the team to get back on the water to win the subsequent race.

Photo: Ian Roman

GB1: The British challenger (and America’s Cup finalist in the last AC), helmed by Dylan Fletcher and Ben Cornish, will be disappointed with their efforts. The team had their best day of the regatta on Sunday with back-to-back fourth-place finishes.

However, their efforts were severely hampered by a pre-regatta repair job and foil damage.

ARC Team USA & Tudor Team Alinghi: The American crew, co-helmed by Lucas Calabrese, showed strong flashes of boat speed despite occasional inconsistency, while Paul Goodison’s Tudor Team Alinghi suffered a late setback in the final fleet race when a touchdown gybe cost them a potential podium result.

Focus turns to the AC75s

With the AC40 preliminary regatta wrapped up, the competing teams are immediately turning their full attention to their AC75 race boats in preparation for the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup in 2027.

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