Uber ORC B brings together ORC World Champion and major regatta winners at the Copa del Rey Mapfre
by Copa del Rey MAPFRE 10 Jul 05:36 PDT
1-8 August 2026
PG390 Katara by Ready Set Go (ARG) of Hermógenes and Diego Barcia - 2024 ORC Sportboat European Championship © Maria Muina | RCNV
The Uber ORC B class will gather in the Bay of Palma the reigning ORC World Champion together with the winners of the Conde de Godó Trophy, Sandberg PalmaVela and the SM La Reina Trophy, setting the stage for one of the most open title battles of the 44 Copa del Rey Mapfre.
Uber ORC B is once again set to be one of the most competitive classes at the Copa del Rey Mapfre. Twenty-four yachts from ten nations will line up in the Bay of Palma, including the reigning ORC World Champion and the winners of this season's major regattas, making it one of the most exciting and closely contested classes of the 44th edition.
The boat to beat will be Argentina's Katara, owned by Julián Somodi, the reigning 2026 ORC World Champion. The team arrives in Palma after winning the Conde de Godó Trophy and finishing runner-up at the recent SM La Reina Trophy, results that firmly establish it as the favourite.
Among its strongest challengers are Fórmula X, owned by Rodrigo Sanz, winner of Sandberg PalmaVela; Ebury, owned by Javier Sabiote, fresh from victory at the SM La Reina Trophy; Teatro Soho-San Miguel, owned by Javier Banderas, an eight-time Copa del Rey Mapfre winner and 2024 Abanca ORC 0 champion; Great Britain's Kine, owned by Sean McCarter; and Mágica, owned by Marco Comas, completing a remarkably strong line-up of title contenders.
Beyond the quality of the fleet, the class will once again provide a benchmark for the performance of the XR 41 design. The yacht dominated the 2025 ORC World Championship, but this season has faced significantly stronger competition. Although several XR 41s reached the podium at the 2026 Worlds, they were unable to repeat the level of dominance displayed a year earlier.
For Manu Fraga, General Manager of Real Club Náutico de Palma, organiser of the Copa del Rey Mapfre, the class's greatest attraction lies in its competitiveness: "Uber ORC B is probably the most evenly matched fleet in the entire Copa del Rey Mapfre. It brings together the reigning World Champion, the winners of the season's major regattas and several projects of a very similar standard, meaning that every race could prove decisive. It is a class where every mistake comes at a high price, guaranteeing a spectacular contest in the Bay of Palma."
Teatro Soho-San Miguel: Javier Banderas Returns to Uber ORC B
One of the main storylines will be the return of Javier Banderas to the Uber ORC B class. The Málaga owner returns to the division where he built much of his remarkable Copa del Rey Mapfre record, having won eight titles before spending recent seasons in Abanca ORC 0, where he claimed victory in 2024.
"We're delighted to return to Uber ORC B because it has always been an incredibly competitive class. At this year's Copa del Rey Mapfre we'll be racing against an outstanding fleet, including the reigning World Champion and teams that, like us, know what it takes to win this regatta," said Banderas.
The Teatro Soho-San Miguel owner also highlighted the extensive preparation carried out over recent months: "We've completed a great deal of testing and training, and we've drawn some very positive conclusions. Now it's time to race and find out exactly where we stand on the water. Every edition of the Copa del Rey Mapfre is different, and that's precisely what makes it so special."
Another leading contender is Ebury, owned by Javier Sabiote (Marina Salinas San Pedro), which arrives in Palma full of confidence after winning the SM La Reina Trophy and finishing runner-up at the Conde de Godó Trophy, confirming its excellent form.
The list of title challengers is completed by Great Britain's Kine, owned by Sean McCarter, an Infiniti GT36 that enjoyed a spectacular duel with Fórmula X throughout Sandberg PalmaVela before finishing just one point behind the winner, and Mágica, owned by Marco Comas (Club Nàutic El Masnou), an X-41 that has put together a remarkably consistent season, finishing third at Sandberg PalmaVela, fourth at the Conde de Godó Trophy and ninth at the SM La Reina Trophy.
With such an exceptional concentration of talent and recent success, Uber ORC B promises to be one of the standout classes of the 44th Copa del Rey Mapfre, where consistency and the ability to avoid mistakes are once again expected to prove decisive in the fight for the title.
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