Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team at the PRADA Cup Final Day 1
by Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli 13 Feb 2021 03:15 PST
13-22 February 2021
The first day of racing in the Prada Cup final between Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and INEOS Team UK starts with two solid wins. The light wind conditions during the first part of the day led the race committee to choose field A for the races of the day.
Two races, won with a comfortable lead, allow Luna Rossa to take an immediate 2-0 score.
The first race started with a few minutes delay due to the light breeze on the course that in a matter of minutes stabilized at 8-10 knots. At 4.19 pm the umpires gave the warning signal while the wind increased from 025 degrees. Luna Rossa entered on port tack and won the start against the British boat that fell from the foils and struggled to get back up as they remained in displacement mode for over a minute in the entry box. These precious seconds allowed Luna Rossa to stretch forward with a 600-meter gain on the left side of the course that showed more pressure.
Even after INEOS started to pick up the pace, Luna Rossa was careful to protect her advantage and managed to stretch it gate after gate, always over a minute ahead, thanks to correct boat-handling and clean manoeuvrers around all the gates. The raced ended with Luna Rossa crossing the finish line 1 minute 56 seconds in front of the British boat.
In the second race the wind increased from 045 degrees, with peaks of 20 knots in some parts of the racecourse. This time at the start Luna Rossa was on the right side of the entry box and immediately moved in to line up against Ineos. The British team defended its call requesting a penalty that was not confirmed. When the two-minute countdown ran out Luna Rossa was on the line ahead of the British boat. After a few meters she was forced to the right side of the course, but at the first cross started to gain the first few meters and build an advantage that was increased and consolidated throughout the race. It was closer race than the first, but Luna Rossa managed to stay in control the whole way through, reaching the finish line with a 26 second lead.
Max Sirena, skipper and team director:
"It was a positive day and it started in the best way, but we've only just begun and have only won two races. It will be important to keep the concentration high because anything can happen. For tomorrow we will go out on the water knowing that the boat is doing very well. The interesting thing is that today we raced in light wind conditions in the first race and medium strong wind in the second. This was very important and helped us understand where we were in terms of performance compared to our opponents. The guys were very good and handled the boat well. They got good starts in both races and did well in controlling their advantage. Maybe we made some mistakes in the second downwind in the second race, but in the next few hours we will work to analyse the data to understand if we need to do something more in the coming days. The series is still very long, so we need to keep our heads down and stay focused."