Spectacular Sardina will see 52 Super Series teams looking to finish 2025 on a high note

52 Super Series Sailing Week Porto Cervo 2024 © Nico Martinez / 52 Super Series

Teams on the 52 SUPER SERIES, the world's leading grand prix monohull racing circuit, head to the renowned Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in Porto Cervo, Sardinia for the final event of the season, 52 SUPER SERIES - Porto Cervo - Range Rover regatta, all sharing the same, universal ambition, to finish on an absolute high note.

While 2025 circuit leaders, Doug DeVos' American Magic Quantum Racing have a sizeable overall margin, leaving them with a relatively straightforward task to secure their second season title in a row. They are also aiming for their fourth successive regatta victory.

Takashi Okura's Sled appear securely on course to finish second overall, but they would love to replicate the outstanding regatta victor scored when last the circuit visited the Costa Smeralda, the New York YC flagged team winning five races back-to-back.

Italy v France, a great duel

The most engaging duel of this 2025 finale looks set to be the battle over third step on the podium a match between the Italian Alkedo Vitamina crew of Andrea Lacorte, newcomers to the circuit this year, and Jean Luc Petithuguenin's proud all-French team on Paprec who only just relinquished third to Alkedo last month in Puerto Portals, Mallorca. The rival teams go into the Sardinia showdown separated by just 2.5pts.

But there are private goals and scraps all the way down the season's entry list. Underperforming teams want to sign off from 2025 with their best finish of the year. In fifth overall Harm Müller Spreer's Platoon Aviation could still make the season's podium with a regatta winning performance such as they have achieved many times before, not least at the last event of 2024 wining the Royal Cup in breezy Valencia.

Likewise, Shawn and Tina Kang's Hong Kong flagged Alpha+ arrive in Sardinia fresh from their first ever regatta podium. A repeat performance would certainly see them continue their climb up the circuit standings.

A full entry hungry for success

Hasso and Tina Plattner's South African flagged Phoenix return to the circuit in Sardinia, sailing with an 'Aussie dream team' line up of Tom Slingsby, Kyle Langford and Will Ryan at the back of the boat. That means there will be a full complement of 13 TP52 teams representing ten nations lining up on the dock at the YCCS. Monday 22nd of September is official race practice day whilst competition runs Tuesday to Saturday 27th September. As usual in September anything can happen in terms of wind weather. It is unusual to go through a full early Autumn regatta without the strong N'ly Mistral wind blowing for a few days but equally there can be days of very light winds. The dependable constant is the beautiful backdrop to the race course areas. The imposing rugged, rocky mountains and islands form one of the most beautiful racing arenas in the world.

Aboard the championship leading American Magic Quantum Racing, talismanic owner-driver Doug DeVos will be welcomed back to the helm for the first time since Saint Tropez in May, the opening regatta of the season. As ever, stepping back into the high octane, super competitive, closely matched fleet is a big test for DeVos and his team.

"This afterguard change is one we have prepared for, and with both Harry (Melges) and Victor (Diaz de Leon) working on strategy, Sara working on navigating, all providing input for Terry, coupled with Doug being a very accomplished driver, I think we have the potential of being a very strong tactical unit. The first few days of practice will require sorting out the subtlety in the comms loop and knocking some rust off and the expectation as a group is that we will get better every day." Highlights American Magic's coach James Lyne, "It's always great to have Doug back steering, he brings focus and leadership to our group. There is a clarity of purpose in how we want to execute our processes and communications at this regatta. As a team we have made big gains this year in how we sail and operate together both on and off the water, so as ever it will be how we improve day by day, our ability to make adjustments during the regatta that will determine our end result."

Sled want a 2019 repeat

Takashi Okura's Sled team would love to break American Magic's winning run and mainsheet trimmer and project manager Don Cowie believes they have the skills and the boat to do the job, "The boat is good and we can expect anything for wind. American Magic are hard to beat as they sail so well but we want to finish off the season with a good result. We want to go out and try and win the regatta, we always do and you have to keep pushing. It would be satisfying to win and close the gap at least some on American Magic."

Home support

Andrea Larcorte's Alkedo team have been enjoying and profiting from the support of passionate Italian fans this season, much more so than they ever imagined. Winning a regatta is a realistic goal but third overall for the season would be a dream outcome for a crew which only started out together in May in Saint Tropez. They will not have Portuguese strategist Alvaro Marinho but instead bring in American 49er ace Nevin Snow who raced with American Magic previously.

"We have already achieved more than we could have ever hoped for so the overall third would be the best satisfaction ever. We have felt so much support, passionate people calling us and messaging us, there is huge support and they watch all the races on the live stream. It is very important to us and a big responsibility to us to finish with a result to be proud of for us and the people who support us." Enthuses Alkedo's bowman and project manager Matteo De Luca.

French want wind and lots of it...

Their French rivals Paprec are looking for big winds such as they did well in, finishing second in Cascais at the Rolex TP52 World Championship, by one single point.

"We seem to do better in the breeze, we feel comfortable in our boat handling, we are sailing in a better way. We find it easier to get to speed whereas in the lighter stuff maybe we have not found te best tuning, but the target is to make the podium, to get third back. Top five was the goal at the start of the season but having been third for most of the season, it's our target." Says Stephane Névé mainsheet trimmer on Paprec.

Platoon have momentum?

Harm Müller-Spreer's Platoon Aviation finished very strongly in Puerto Portals last month and aim to carry that impetus forwards to Porto Cervo and at least score their second podium of the season. They are back at full strength as they were last month in Mallorca

"We have had a real up and down season, the second half of the regatta in Portals we found form, we sailed well and so we need to continue on from that place. We are confident now as we have been all season now we need to put it all together and perform as a team. We had our moments in Portals, there are still some points of sail where we are not that confident in the boat, but I think of we sail well we can do well." Highlights Ross Halcrow Platoon Aviation's America's Cup and Ocean Race winning trimmer.

Must do better...

Winners of the season opener in Saint Tropez back in May, Tony Langley's Gladiator would love to bookend their 2025 campaign with a signature result, not least after a disappointing 11th in Puerto Portals last month.

"I don't think that last regatta reflects the real level of the team because of some little details or mistakes we made penalised us in the results and so we have something to prove to ourselves that we are a better team than the results of the last regatta show, so we have a good opportunity to finish the season on a high and leaving the season with good feelings for the future. We are all starting to think about next season and in that respect we need to improve and we are better than our last regatta in Puerto Portals." Concluded Gullermo Parada, tactician on Gladiator who clinched the 2019 title with Azzurra in Porto Cervo, the last time the 52 SUPER SERIES raced in Sardinia

Follow the live stream broadcasting every race on youtube.com/user/52SuperSeries

52 SUPER SERIES circuit standings after four of five regattas:

1. American Magic Quantum Racing, USA, Doug DeVos, 18+23+42+38 = 131
2. Sled, USA, Takashi Okura, 13+58+51+50 = 172
3. Alkedo, ITA, Andrea Lacorte, 28+49+61+59 = 197
4. Paprec, FRA, Jean-Luc Petithuguenin, 23,5+ 63+43+70 = 199,5
5. Platoon Aviation, GER, Harm Müller-Spreer, 36+44+63+64 = 207
6. Alpha+, HKG, Shawn & Tina Kang, 21,5+68+71+54 = 214,5
7. Vayu, THA, Whitcraft Family, 27+68+65+61 = 221
8. Alegre, GBR, Andy Soriano, 30+71+62+66 = 229
9. Provezza, TUR, Ergin Imre, 30+64+81+70 = 245
10. Gladiator, GBR, Tony Langley, 12+120+63+79 = 274
11. Phoenix, RSA, Tina & Hasso Plattner, 48+69+60+130 = 307
12. Crioula, BRA, Eduardo & Renato Plass, 28+120+120+71 = 339
13. Teasing Machine, FRA, Eric de Turckheim, 48+73+120+104 = 345