Bacardi Cup winners sponsored to compete at Star Class Worlds

Diego Negri and Sergio Lambertenghi at Bacardi Cup 2018 © Tim Wilkes / www.timwilkes.com

Almost six months have passed since the Bacardi Cup 2018 crowned the winners of the 91st edition in Miami, USA. In 2018, for the first time in the Cup's long history, an Italian team earned the engraving of their name on the prestigious Cup, as Diego Negri and Sergio Lambertenghi stepped up to the podium and placed their names on one of the sport's most iconic prizes.

2018 Bacardi Cup Champions, Negri and Lambertenghi will now head to the 2018 Star Class World Championship as Bacardi ambassadors. This new initiative between Bacardi and the Star Class, will see each year's Bacardi Cup winners represent the Bacardi Company while competing at the next Star Class World Championship. The Italian duo will head to Oxford, Maryland in the USA to race at the ISCYRA World Championship, 5-15 October 2018, and as reigning Bacardi Cup champions hold the honour of racing as the 'Bacardi Team of the Year', with the Bacardi logo on their hull and mainsail. A perfect synergy between Bacardi and the legendary Star Class and sailors.

"Bacardi is synonymous with the Star Class, and we have been united as partners for many years," said Eduardo Cutillas, from Bacardi USA. "Supporting the winners of the Bacardi Cup to compete at the Star Worlds is a natural evolution in Bacardi's sponsorship of the Star Class, and supports our vision of the world's best sailors racing together", adds Sara Zanobini, Event Director of the Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta. "Negri and Lambertenghi will represent the Bacardi brand at the Star Worlds and inevitably be amongst the favourites for the world crown."

Launching in 2018, the new 'Bacardi Cup Program' will continue in the future for many years to come, dovetailing the Bacardi Cup champions into the Star Worlds.

The Bacardi Cup history started back in 1927 with the Bacardi family hosting a regatta on the then all new Star boats in Havana, Cuba. The challenge for victory has been tough ever since that first edition, when back then featured the best sailors from North America coming to win the trophy. The race for glory has evolved massively, and since 1962 Miami has hosted the Bacardi Cup on Biscayne Bay, attracting the sport's big names from around the world. The relationship between the Bacardi Cup and International Star Class Yacht Racing Association (ISCRYA) is bound tight, and is marked by an annual Class Board Meeting in Miami.

The tradition of camaraderie and high level competition are embedded in the Bacardi Cup, guaranteeing the world's top sailors want to compete and fans want to watch the race track intrigue unfold.

Bringing their unique style to the event, the venerable Bacardi Rum brand and the Bacardi family, who have been active patrons since the inaugural Bacardi Cup was presented in 1927, will continue their active partnership in 2019. The Bacardi Cup is now part of a larger format known as the Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta, which incorporates many classes alongside the Star, including the J70, Vipers, Flying Tigers and Melges 24. They don't compete to win the Bacardi Cup, that is a Star prerogative, but they have their own Class titles and prizes and get to join a fantastic week of racing and fun at Coral Reef Yacht Club in Miami.

The 92nd edition of the 2019 Bacardi Cup will take place between Coral Reef Yacht Club, Biscayne Bay Yacht Club, Shake A Leg Miami and the United States Sailing Center from March 3-9 2019. In the meantime, you can follow Diego Negri and Sergio Lambertenghi, the 2018 Bacardi Cup winners and 'Bacardi Team of the Year' at the ISCRYA World Championship.