Young Azzurra qualifies for Youth Foiling Gold Cup finals
by Yacht Club Costa Smeralda 9 Mar 2021 19:39 PST
10-12 March 2021
Young Azzurra, Youth Foiling Gold Cup © Marta Rovatti
After an intense week of racing in the waters of Gaeta, Young Azzurra qualified for the final of the Youth Foiling Gold Cup with an excellent final position in the classification of the second round of the knockout phase.
The format of the event hosted an initial qualifying phase, where the top team after the first three days of racing would gain direct access to the final. It was the crew of Team Dutch Sail who secured that place in the final while the Agiplast team from Hong Kong, by placing second, was instead able to skip the first round of knockouts following the initial qualifying phase.
With a third place in the provisional standings, Young Azzurra went on to face two rounds of knockouts - three races each, with five races actually held in total - to access the final of the team's first international event of the year.
The YCCS claimed two wins out of three races to finish the first round at the top of the rankings. Progressing to the second round of knockouts, Young Azzurra paid for a complicated start with a fourth-place finish in her first race, but immediately bounced back to win the following race. Thanks to the scores obtained in the two races completed, the Young Azzurra team - composed of skipper Ettore Botticini, flight controller Federico Colaninno, the two mainsail trimmers who alternate on board, Francesca Bergamo and Erica Ratti, and coach Enrico Zennaro - placed second in the overall classification of the second knockout round to qualify for the finals.
The Norwegians of Xela Racing, and the Spanish Youth Bravo España teams placed at the bottom of the rankings in the first and second knockout rounds respectively, and will not progress to the final phase.
The finals of the Youth Foiling Gold Cup will take place 10th-12th March, and will see Young Azzurra face Team Dutch Sail, Team Agiplast, Kingdom Team, Southern Challenge and One Switzerland. The score line will be reset to zero and a maximum of six races will be held per day.