Persico 69F ITAS Assicurazioni Grand Prix 2.1 in Malcesine - Preview

ITAS Assicurazioni Grand Prix 2.1 © Persico 69F / Studio Borlenghi

Six international teams, big names, and young contestants. This second seasonal event of the Persico 69F in Malcesine starts tomorrow during The Foiling Week.

Young But Favoured - On paper, there are two teams Under 25 that are favoured. Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club Team Agiplast and the Dutch Kingdom Team Netherlands, in fact, have very young teams but also very experienced thanks to the highest number of hours spent racing on the Persico 69F. The two young teams, in fact, raced and trained between July and August and today their knowledge of the boat is high, also the desire to show the role of young people in these boats and in this circuit. Soon they will be ready for the honorary citizenship of Lake Garda, due to the hours spent on the water in Gargnano and Malcesine. They will face the Grand Prix 2.1 in determined fashion.

Double Switzerland - Two Swiss teams are taking part. The first, called Société Nautique de Genève, will have on the water Victor Casas, Matthieu Ravussin, and Nelson Mattraux. The second one, in addition to the Swiss Richard Davis and Christopher Rast, will have an expert sailor of international foiling circuits, the Englishman Will Alloway.

Return to Race for Celon - In Grand Prix 1 it was love at first sight. Nicola Celon has tried the Persico 69F racing and he immediately said that he would like to come back. This has happened and he involved one of his owners, Lanfranco Cirillo who with his Fantastica team has been the leader of one-design circuits for many years and now he's ready to change to foiling. Team Fantastica will race with two teams, the first with Michele Paoletti at the helm with Francesco Gabbi and Pietro De Luca, the second one with Nicola Celon, Lorenzo Franceschini and Simone Salvà.

"After the first Grand Prix of July in Gargnano and the double Revolution in August, in which the Persico 69F was the absolute winner of an innovative race format that monopolized the attention of European sailing.", says Giorgio Benussi, 69F Chief Commercial Officer, "Now we're ready for the second Grand Prix and, for the first time, we will have a stage sponsor, ITAS Assicurazioni, that shows how the Persico 69F circuit is evolving, growing in visibility and stature. There will be many stories to tell".

The event will be in 69F's home, the Circolo Fraglia Vela Malcesine, alongside the Foiling Week.

The teams:

Kingdom Team Netherlands (KWVL): Odile van Aanholt, Emma Savelon, Jorden van Rooijen, Bart Lambriex, Guido Gallinaro
Team Agiplast (RHKYC): Calum Gregor, Nicolai Jacobsen, Maria Cantero
Section 16 (TYC): Richard Davies, Christopher East, Will Alloway
Okalys (SNG): Victor Casas, Matthieu Ravussin, Nelson Mettraux
Fantastica 1 (YCT): Michele Paoletti, Francesco Gabbi, Pietro De Luca,
Fantastica 2 (YCT): Nicola Celon, Lorenzo Franceschini, Simone Salvà