Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli is the Italian team that represented the Circolo della Vela Sicilia yacht club in the 36th edition of the America's Cup presented by Prada, which has been held in Auckland, New Zealand, from March 10 to 17, 2021. After 10 challenging races, the team lost the Final Match, against the defender Emirates Team New Zealand with a score of 7-3.
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli had previously won the right to challenge the Emirates Team New Zealand, after winning the PRADA Cup against INEOS Team UK in the final of the challengers' races—held from January 15 to February 20, 2021.
Established in 1851, the America's Cup is the oldest trophy in the history of the sport and the most important sailing race, which has always been a fusion of sport and technology. The first participation of Luna Rossa dates back to 2000, when the team arrived in the America's Cup final against Team New Zealand after winning the Louis Vuitton Cup on its debut, beating the U.S. AmericaOne team. Over the past two decades, the team has participated in six America's Cup campaigns.
At the end of the last edition, in February 2017, immediately after the victory of the New Zealand team against the then defender Oracle Team USA, Agostino Randazzo, President of the Circolo della Vela Sicilia, together with Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team, launched the challenge to the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, becoming Challenger of Record that is responsible for writing the rules, together with the current defender of the Cup, for the next edition of the race.
Led by Max Sirena, Skipper and Team Director, the Italian team is competing on board the AC75 "Luna Rossa", a revolutionary monohull that is 23 meters long and weighs about 6.5 tons. More than 90 people, including 37 designers, have been involved in its construction for over two years, and 7,000 square meters of carbon fiber and 400 square meters of aluminum honeycomb have been used. Mounted on the sides of the hull are the foils, the two "wings" that measure about 5 meters and allow Luna Rossa to "fly" over the water and reach speeds of over 90 km/h.
Launched on October 2, 2019 in Cagliari at the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team base, the AC75 Luna Rossa is the first revolutionary full-foiling monohull that will represent Italy and Circolo della Vela Sicilia in the America's Cup, the oldest trophy in the history of sport and the most prestigious sailing trophy.
On October 20, 2020 the launching ceremony of the second AC75 Luna Rossa, Boat 2, took place in Auckland (NZ). The second monohull is the natural evolution of the previous project, modified on the basis of data collected and processed by the design team in collaboration with the sailing team. As on Boat 1, several technologies designed in collaboration with Pirell were adopted, such as certain components in the parts in contact with water that help in the phases of maximum speed.
Team
Sailing aboard the AC75 are 11 crew members, each with a different function. In addition to their crew position on the boat, each sailor also has a specific role on land and works in coordination with the Design Team to try to improve boat performance and with the Shore Team that develops the boat and builds the components.
The sailing team, including the coach, is made up of 21 men. Within the group, ten experienced sailors work alongside ten young talents who joined the team thanks to the "New Generation" project, which was born from the desire to strengthen what has become a constant for the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team over the years: giving continuity to the challenge.
Thanks to the collaboration with The Woolmark Company as a technical partner, high-performance technical garments made of merino wool have been studied and developed with innovative solutions for team apparel. Thanks to its complex structure, merino wool is the most technical natural fiber that is naturally thermoregulating, breathable and water resistant. It is 100% renewable and biodegradable and helps protect the oceans due to the very low environmental impact of its production and disposal.
