Sailing in North Lake Garda: M32 Series, ILCA Eurocup and iQFoil European Championships
by Elena Giolai 16 May 2022 04:10 PDT
12-15 May 2022
ILCA Eurilca Eurocup © Elena Giolai
Really intense days on Garda Trentino with a concentration of regattas of a very high international level and very different classes. Sunday 15 May saw the conclusion of the regattas at both Circolo Vela Torbole and Fraglia Vela Riva, for the Ilca and M32 classes respectively.
- Garda Trentino is a reference point for international sailing: the M32 catamaran regattas in RIva del Garda and the Ilca dinghies in Torbole concluded. In the evening the opening ceremony of the iQFoil European Championships with record participation
- M32: at the Fraglia Vela Riva Vitamina Veloce tries to overtake, but Inga from Sweden makes no mistake and wins the series
- Eurilca Eurocup 2nd International Torbole Spring Cup: the legend Scheidt wins in the women's Ilca 7, Chiara Benini Floriani in the women's Ilca 6, Mattia Cesana in the men's. Completely changed podium positions in the Ilca 4 with Defontes and Clara Lorenzi going first
Events and organising clubs have left the baton to Circolo Surf Torbole, which on Sunday evening inaugurated the European Championship of the new iQFoil Olympic class, which will continue until Sunday 22 May. The first real European since the class was chosen for Paris 2024, as many athletes took a break in the post-Olympic season.
M32 at Fraglia Vela Riva: spectacle and speed
Grand finale on Garda Trentino for the M32 catamarans, which on Sunday, with five more races, concluded the 1st 2022 series, hosted by Fraglia Vela Riva. It was the day of Vitamina Sailing (Andrea Lacorte at the helm), who with 3 firsts and 2 seconds tried to attack the leadership gained since the first day by Inga from Sweden. But the Swedes' points lead and very few errors (only four seconds and 11 partial victories) prevented them from attempting to overtake. However, the improvement of the Vitamina Veloce team, which day after day improved its speed and manoeuvres, was evident. Victory therefore for Inga from Sweden, second place for the Italians of Vitamina Veloce and third the Dutch of LeeLoo.
Ilca 4, 6 and 7 at Circolo Vela Torbole: the Olympic dream for many male and female sailors
Very challenging organisation for the Europacup International Torbole Spring Cup of the former Laser class "Ilca", organised by Circolo Vela Torbole in collaboration with Circolo Vela Arco and Federazione Italiana Vela: 512 athletes from 28 nations competed in four days of regattas, the first two qualifying races, and Saturday and Sunday with the four finals of the Gold fleets, not discardable.
In the men's Olympic Ilca 7, the champion Robert Scheidt, who is at home in Torbole, dominated by racing sensational races, which certainly set an example for the young opponents who also placed in the podium zone, but with a gap of over 20 points from each other. Scheidt is a real star for the youngsters and there was no shortage of selfies at Circolo Vela Torbole between the youngsters and the Brazilian champion. Attilio Borio took the second step of the overall podium, winning among the under-21s; third place for Roberto Rinaldi.
In the hard-fought Ilca 6 class (men's junior and women's Olympic) victory went to reigning World Champion Mattia Cesana (Fraglia Vela Riva), 12 points ahead of Antonio Pascali. Third, two points behind Enrico Tanferna, who despite a disqualification at the start in race 4, managed to climb up to third place thanks to an excellent final (18-7-3-10). Rivana's Chiara Benini Floriani, despite a negative third regatta in the final (38th), recovered with a fourth place in the last race, thus maintaining the women's leadership by a margin, also finishing in an excellent sixth place overall. She climbed up the rankings with two sixth overall places won in the last finals by Giorgia Della Valle, second female. Third place went to Turkey's Donertas.
Classification upset among the youngest Ilca 4: with a first and a second in the finals Tommaso Defontes won with an impressive 31 points ahead of the under 16 Circolo Vela Torbole's racer Rayene El Haddadi, regular in the final with two fifteenths. Mattia Di Lorenzo (U16) was three points behind. In the women's category, Clara Lorenzi was also the protagonist of a fine overtaking performance: she won among the girls, finishing eleventh overall. Second place went to Neapolitan Ginevra Caracciolo, third to Slovenian Valencic.
The iQFoil European Championships kicked off at Circolo Surf Torbole with the opening ceremony
On Sunday evening it was the turn of Circolo Surf Torbole to officially open the European Championships of the new iQFoil Olympic class. A Championship that for the first time has full participation, since in the previous two years many athletes were still competing in the Tokyo Olympic "RS:X" board. A European with a world flavour as 41 nations are present, with the Tokyo gold and silver medallists, Dutchman Kiran Badloe and Frenchman Thomas Goyard. Of particular note is the participation of the Italian team, which has six athletes from Circolo Surf Torbole among its members: siblings Nicolò, Jacopo and Sofia Renna, Jacopo Gavioli, Leonardo Tomasini and Manolo Modena. On Monday the 'Practice race' will take place, while from Tuesday the qualifying phases will begin, with the final on Sunday 22 May.