Thursday 12 February 2009

LVPS: Damiani Italia Challenge Earns A Place Amongst the Top Teams


Damiani Italia Challenge celebrate their victory over TEAMORIGIN. Image copyright Stefano Gattini/Damiani Italia Challenge.

by Gabriele Cutini

Today was the best result from Damiani Italia Challenge in the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series.

It was surprising because it was unexpected, but certainly not undeserved. Also today, Damiani Italy Challenge, a team born from the union of Italy's Team Joe Fly of Giovanni Maspero and of the Dabliù Sail Project of Vasco Vascotto and Andrea Cecchetti, did everything well.

Driven by Francesco Bruni, and with the tactical sharpness of the skipper of Muggia, the sole entirely Italian team at the event that will be concluded in the next few days in Auckland, obtained the right to dispute the semi-finals, surpassing the British of Team Origin at the conclusion of a their match, led from start to finish. Damiani Italia Challenge has to take on the semi-finals with Russell Coutts and the men of BMW Oracle Racing.

Damiani Italia Challenge finishes fourth, behind the main teams of the recent America' s Cup: the defender Alinghi, the hosts, Emirates Team New Zealand, qualified of right to the grand final on Friday and were beaten by the men of Vasco Vascotto in the first match of the Gold Fleet, as well as the already cited BMW Oracle Racing.

Vasco Vascotto, skipper and tactician of Damiani Italia Challenge: "I smile because I know how positive this result is. We learned more in these two weeks than in twenty top-level years of sailing. We return to Italy with an important luggage and with the consciousness of how much the team is worth. And this demonstrates that hard work pays and the boys of the team have to be proud of this ".

Francesco Bruni, helmsman of Damiani Italia Challenge: "The budget is more than positive. We would have sold anything simply to be here, to celebrate the fourth place, gained finishing on the shoulders of three large teams... We are pleased. In less than two months we overwhelmed an important gap, showed ourselves able to fight on equal terms with crew that have been together for a considerably longer time. On a personal level, I am very pleased with this experience".

Semifinal BMW Oracle Racing beats Damiani Italia Challenge

Quarter final Damiani Italia Challenge beats Team Origin; BMW Oracle Racing beats Luna Rossa

Damiani Italia Challenge

No comments: