Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai - Mascalzone Latino Audi Team get ready

by Mascalzone Latino on 9 Nov 2010 Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai - Mascalzone Latino Audi Team are getting ready for the 2010 season closing event in Dubai that will also mark the end of the Louis Vuitton Trophy cycle. The appointment in the most famous and populated of the United Arab Emirates will start on November 12th with the inauguration of the Race Village and the opening press conference, while racing will kick off on Sunday, November 14th and will conclude on the 28th of the same month.

Vincenzo Onorato, President of Mascalzone Latino, is moved by this last commitment of the ACC. 'In Dubai, the 'old ladies' that have accompanied us in the last 20 years of America's Cups will go on the water. These boats have made Italians dream and get passionate and allowed to deliver new technology standards applied to sailing and boatbuilding. The next Cup, as everyone knows, will be sailed on much faster and complex yachts, but everyone will remember with affection this era. I think Dubai will be able to write the last page of this era’s history with great pomp, in a parade of the world’s the strongest teams. '

Marco Savelli, Team Vice President, looks confident in this historic event: 'I think that after the excellent second place in Auckland, and the fifth in La Maddalena, where we almost got into the semifinals, this year our crew has proved capable of achieving good results. On this occasion as well, despite the top level of the competing teams, I expect a fight to the last gybe. I trust that Mascalzone Latino will obtain good results, and I can assure that we will do our best because we are aware of the responsibility to mark the history of this generation of boats with a nice final memory. '

Vincenzo Onorato’s crew is led by skipper and helmsman Gavin Brady and will consist of Morgan Larson - tactician, Cameron Dunn and Flavio Favini - afterguard, Paul Westlake – mainsail trimmer, Steve Hayles - navigator, Rob Salthouse and Thierry Fouchier - trimmers, Matthew Welling – mainsail grinder, Scott Crawford and Andrea Pavan - grinders, Jamie Gale - travelers, Massimo Gherarducci - mastman, Alberto Barovier – mid bowman, Chris Dougall – grinder/travelers, Alan Smith – bowman and Santino Brizzi – afterguard/grinder.

The Latin 'Rascals' in Dubai will have to face BMW ORACLE Racing (Defender of the 34th America’s Cup), Emirates Team Zealand, Russia’s Synergy, the French-German team ALL4One and Artemis from Sweden.

The host of the regatta will be Dubai International Marine Club will hold the regatta, usual organizer of the most important marine events in the southern part of the Gulf.

As mentioned, in accordance with the Middle East custom of their will to be part of the history of an increasing number of international sports, by opening or closing a season as was the case in last few years with various classes of automobile, motorcycle and motorboat races, in this case, the event will enter the UAE annals as the last Louis Vuitton Trophy to be sailed on the current generation of America's Cup Class monohulls. The ACC has been used in racing in five different versions, with a total of completed 100 units, starting at the 28th edition in 1992 in San Diego and ending at the 32nd America's Cup, held in Valencia in 2007.

'To be the culmination of a generation of America's Cup boats is a very significant and exciting for us and for everyone involved and passionate about sailing. Dubai will have the opportunity to once again be in the spotlight of the international world of sport,' states an enthusiastic Saeed Hareb, Managing Director of DIMC.

The Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai is under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Emirates Airline, Principal Sponsor of the event.

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