Alkedo powered by Vitamina set for the 52 Super series
by Vitamina Sailing 5 Mar 19:49 AEDT
TP52 Alkedo powered by Vitamina - Rolex TP52 World Championship © Nico Martinez
After a 2025 full of achievements and a well-deserved winter break, the TP52 Alkedo powered by Vitamina is ready to get back into action and face a new, intense racing season. The Italian team led by helmsman Andrea Lacorte will once again compete in the 52 Super Series, the world's most prestigious professional sailing circuit for non-foiling boats, a true showcase of spectacle and adrenaline.
"We are coming off an unforgettable racing season, in which we achieved great satisfaction, even though we entered the championship as newcomers. That's no small detail considering the level of the 52 Super Series fleet," explains Lacorte, who last year finished fourth overall in the circuit, winning the special ranking reserved for owner-drivers. "No one would have imagined we could win the trophy for boats helmed by non-professionals, it was an incredible achievement. That's our starting point for 2026: we want to repeat and, above all, improve on those results, because there is always room for improvement and that must be this year's goal. We are a team with excellent potential and, although the level of our competitors is extremely high, it's up to us to prove our value."
There are five events scheduled for the 2026 edition of the 52 Super Series. The season kicks off in Puerto Portals, Spain, from May 4 to 9, followed by Porto Cervo, Sardinia, from June 15 to 20, event that will also serve as the Rolex TP52 World Championship. The fleet will then move to Lanzarote in the Canary Islands for a double event: the Sailing Week from July 20 to 25 and the Royal Cup from August 24 to 29.
The grand finale will take place in Valencia, Spain, from October 5 to 10, where the fleet - initially composed of 13 TP52s, expected to grow to 15 during the season - will conclude the year in the venue that hosted one of the most memorable editions of the America's Cup in 2007.
On board Alkedo powered by Vitamina, racing for the Yacht Club Repubblica Marinara di Pisa with the support of sponsor Cetilar®, a brand of the pharmaceutical company Pharmanutra, are helmsman Andrea Lacorte, New Zealand tactician Cameron Appleton (member of Emirates Team New Zealand during their successful defense of the 2000 America's Cup), Portuguese strategist Alvaro Marinho, bowman and Vitamina Sailing Team Manager Matteo De Luca, Alberto Bolzan, Luke Molloy, Lorenzo Mazza, Pablo Torrado, Stefano Ciampalini, Nicholas Brezzi, Nicolò Sanfelici, Giovanni Bucarelli, Massimo Gherarducci and Chris Brittle.
Before the start of the 52 Super Series and following a training session in Valencia at the end of April, the Italian team will compete in early May in Palma de Mallorca, in the Balearic Islands, at Palmavela, a true warm-up event ahead of the official season opener in Puerto Portals.
"Last year at this time, when presenting this new challenge, I said we would need to keep our heads down and focus mainly on improving our performance, race after race", concludes Andrea Lacorte. "Now we are no longer the rookies of the circuit, and after last year's results we have a different awareness of our potential. However, our approach must remain the same, as must the determination to always give our best. Once again this year, we will be the only Italian crew competing, a great responsibility and a source of pride for the entire team."