News

XI° Roberto Trombini
Challenge Trophy Match Race 2005

PRESS RELEASE 05 th May 2005

PRESS REALEASE 18 th May 2005

PRESS REALEASE 12 th June 2005

PRESS REALEASE 28 th June 2005

event programme

PRESS RELEASE 30th JUNE 2005

• First day of Match Races at Marina di Ravenna for the 11th edition of the Roberto Trombini Challenge Trophy
• James Spithill (LUNA ROSSA CHALLENGE)) soon takes the lead
• Paolo Cian the best among the Italian Match racing specialists; good start also for Flavio Favini (MASCALZONE LATINO CAPITALIA)
• Roberto Ferrarese (+39) is competing for the first tournament

First day of the races (over 40 matches) for the 11th edition of the Roberto Trombini Challenge Trophy at Marina di Ravenna.
Perfect weather conditions: wind about 10 knots, sun and suitable temperatures. It started with spectacular matches, hard fought races among the 12 super-skippers of the Trombini 2005 and the favourite takes the lead of the Round Robin first day, preliminary heats for the Quarter-finals. James Spithill, twenty six years old helmsman of Luna Rossa (he celebrated his birthday yesterday, during the opening ceremony in the presence of 500 guests!), full points; 6 victories in 6 matches. Each flight consists of 5 matches, meanwhile 2 skippers are on the bye: during the first Round Robin each helmsman will challenge all the other rivals, getting one point every victory. At the end, the first eight teams of the list will move to the quarters-finals and the second Round Robin will decide the first 4 to the Semi-finals on Saturday. The Final on Sunday will be followed by Rai Sport. We should mention that Spithill won the competition twice in the past editions of the Trombini Trophy. If he wins also this year, he would be the first with three victories in 11 editions (also Peter Holmberg and Magnus Holmberg won twice in the past), therefore he would be awarded the challenge trophy.

The first temporary results reflect quite accurately the world ranking list: full point also for the English helmsman Ian Williams, he and Spithill are followed by Paolo Cian, the best among the Italians, with 6 victories and one defeat (with Ainslie). The first day saw the “Italian derby” between Flavio Favini (Mascalzone Latino Capitalia Team) and Roberto Ferrarese (+39 Challenge), Favini won after a hard fight.

Eyes fixed also on the English champion Ben Ainslie (Emirates Team New Zealand) , considered one of the most talented with three Olympic medals in Laser and Finn classes. Ben Ainslie is not a Match racing specialist but is running to qualify. Big challenges are expected tomorrow to conquer the 8 positions available to get to the Quarter-finals.

On Wednesday night, big party for the opening ceremony: dinner for 500 guests was served at Almagià (a former sulphur warehouse in Ravenna). The teams and many of the sponsors were presented to guests including motorcycling champion, Giacomo Agostini, Olympic Canoe champion, Yosefa Idem (sport councillor of the city of Ravenna), the mayor Vidmer Mercatali, Giancarlo Minardi, ex patron of Formula 1 team, Italy’s number one nautical industrialist Norberto Ferretti and many others. At eleven pm the traditional fire works display, reflecting in the water of the Candiano canal.

Classification after 8 flights

James Spithill (AUS) 6-0
Ian Williams (GB) 6-0
Paolo Cian (IT) 6-1
Ben Ainslie (GB) 4-3
Sebastian Col (FR) 4-3
Bjorn Hansen (SE) 3-3
Matteo Simoncelli (IT) 3-4
Sten Mohr (DK) 3-4
Flavio Favini (IT) 3-4
Roberto Ferrarese (IT) 2-5
Luc Pillot (FR) 0-6
Santiago Lopez Vazquez (ES) 0-7

Results of all the matches

The Roberto Trombini Trophy Challenge is organized, as always, by Progetto Vela (President Andrea Trombini) in collaboration with Circolo Velico and the support of numerous partners and sponsors.

NOTICE FOR THE PRESS
Journalists interested in this event please send an email requesting authorization, indicating intended dates in Marina di Ravenna during the Match Race.
For information please call +39 335 5730 361

America’s Cup,
the birthof Match Racing - a bit of history

It all started in 1851 around the Isle of Wight; it was a race open to all nations but only one American yacht, named simply America, challenged 16 English boats for a solid silver cup weighing over 4 kg known as the “One Hundred Guinea Cup” . America won and from that day it has been known as the “America’s Cup”. The Americans were reigning champions until 1983 when the cup finally changed hands, won by an Australian team with the Australia II; in that same year Italy joined the challenge for the first time with the unforgettable Azzurra. Il Moro di Venezia was the first Italian challenger ever to reach the finals racing against America 3 in 1992. Over the centuries the rules have been modified, the boats have become highly technical but the team spirit, the will to win and the challenge remain the same.