Forza Italia! Italians have strength and depth in the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre

Italian skippers are portraited during the Transat Jacques Vabre, in Le Havre, France © Vincent Curutchet / Alea

Italy are one of the strongest nations in the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre not least because of a 'scuderia' of four top level Class40 boats all capable of finishing on the podium in the record sized fleet of 44 which will start their 4600 nautical miles race from Le Havre to Martinique on Sunday.

The Italian group held a press conference for the media today.

The four Class40s skippers are very much following in the wake of Giancarlo Pedote who races in the IMOCA class. Pedote, 47, who finished eighth on the last Vendée Globe, is heading into his fifth Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre on his newly optimised Prysmian Group, sailing with one of the rising stars of French ocean racing, 26 year old Gaston Morvan.

Since he was runner up in the Mini Transat ten years ago, philosophy graduate Pedote raced successfully in the Ocean Fifty class, winning this race in 2015, before competing in Class40 as a stepping stone to the IMOCA, always supported by his long time sponsors Prysmian Group, a global leader in electrical cables.

French based Pedote has stuck with having a strong younger French co-skipper, "For my last race two years ago with Martin Le Pape, things worked out really well between us. All the boxes were ticked, including the result, as we finished sixth in Fort-de-France. So that was quite simply fantastic, even if twenty days at sea is long and we suffered from the heat. And now this time, it's a completely new chapter and we want it to be a good one. We have to work perfectly well together to achieve our common goal, which is to do as best we can with the means we have."

"I think it will be a really strong start out of Le Havre it is usually like this. I think race direction have it all under control and we trust them for what is in store for the week after the start." Pedote said after the Press Conference, "It is all good with Gaston, we did not sail very much together so far but this Transat will be a good time together. We feel the same sensations and I think we can have good discussions to take the right decisions. I am confident for this race."

But the main excitement at the press conference was highlighting how Italy, for the first time ever, has four latest generation, highly competitive Classs40 racing.

"What strikes me is the incredibly high quality of all the Italian boats and designs, also the skippers, sponsors, teams are from a level that has never been seen before. They can all aim at a podium finish or at least to be outsiders who can do well." Said Italy's highly experienced Pietro Luciani, who races on the French boat Dekuple and is Vice Presideny of the class.

There are now three of the all-Italian, highly potent Musa 40s in the fleet. Top hopes probably rest with Route du Rhum runner up Ambrogio Beccaria on Alla Grande-Pirelli. His good friend, electronics expert Alberto Riva - who was preparateur for him into the Route du Rhum - now has the most recently launched Acrobatica which only went in the water in August this year, whilst Andrea Fornaro's Influence 2 was a winter launch.

Former Figaro racer Alberto Bona is considered a strong podium contender with his IBSA, a Sam Manuard designed Mach40.5 which won the Caribbean 600 and the Les Sables Horta Les Sables races this season.

Beccaria has said the strong point of his Alla Grande-Pirelli is that it has no weaknesses, it is a great allrounder.

Of being tipped as favourite he said at the press conference, "Actually I always say it is better to be favourite than not favourite. I will take it. I think there is a good reason to be declared favourite and I am quite comfortable with it."

He enthused, "I think there are three really strong teams and so every chance to have at least one Italian on the podium, maybe two and it is not impossible to think of all three. Alberto Riva now has a great boat and I am so happy to see him here, he is a great racer and a great seaman too and just lacking a little bit of miles sailing the boat. He can do a really great race.

Alla Grande-Pirelli has been further optimised for this race, "We did a lot of work with sails in general, we did something new with the J2 we optimised the space to the deck, it is really nice and new. The J1 is loadsharing, is stiffer and is bigger. In short the sails are bigger."

And with more than 30 knots of wind expected through consecutive fronts, Monday and Tuesday Beccaria explains, "I think that the strategy is that we have to shift between being racing sailors to being good seamen. We will have to be only about the safety of our boat and ourselves. And then if the boat is at 100% after three days we have to do our best."