Savelli takes win for Mascalzone Latino

A report from the Trieste Match Race

The match race regatta of the Trieste Challenge 2008 ended in Trieste with the strong Bora wind, with gusts up to 30 knots, compelking the Race Committee to cancel all races that should have taken place in the day of the finals.

Only Mascalzone beats Mascalzone: the crew driven by Matteo Savelli (below) won on Friday against Jes Gram Hansen in the first and only race in the finals, and gained the highest step of the podium. Second position for the Mascalzone Latino Trifork Team (Gram Hansen) who, even if they won the two Round Robins, lost the regatta in the finals.



"There were four days of very high-level regattas", commented skipper Matteo Savelli. "The merit goes above all to my crew who succeeded, despite the difficult wind conditions, in manoeuvring very well and in getting the best boatspeed possible. It would have been impossible to win without them: this was a victory of all Team!"

During the week the wind kept everybody waiting, and in some races it was rather unstable. The Race Committee put an end to two rounds of Round Robins and ended yesterday the sole regatta in the finals (1st/2nd place). Savelli, after the first mistake in the first regatta that cost him a point in favour of Mirski, won four times and placed second at the end of the two Round Robins, equal won by Jes Gram Hansen.

The Frenchman Damien Iehl, fifth in the ISAF Match Race rankings, and the Australian Torvar Mirsky, fourth in the World Match Racing Tour rankings, ranked respectively third and fourth after the two Round Robins. Their position in the results didn't change, as they could not race any regatta of the finals for the 3rd/4th place due to too strong wind.

"I am always happy to race in Trieste", said Jes Gram Hansen, skipper of Mascalzone Latino Trifork Racing Team. "It is an interesting place to race. Unfortunately, in spite of the victory in the Round Robins, we lost the only race of the finals and so we only ranked second. We are all satisfied, though. Mascalzone Latino could not win more than this!"

At the end of the event, Vincenzo Onorato, held in Milan due to an important business engagement, commented on the results gained by his Mascalzone Latino Teams: "I could not even think of such a great end! Great Jes and great Matteo!".

The crew of Mascalzone Latino who won the Trieste Challenge 2008 is: Matteo Savelli (skipper/helmsman), Furio Benussi (tactician), Andrea Ballico (trimmer), Davide Scarpa (bowman), Daniele Fiaschi (trimmer), Luca Albarelli (mast), Nicola Pilastro (pitman) and Pierluigi de Felice (mainsail).

Savelli, Scarpa and Bellico have recently won the Farr 40 European Championship and, for the third time in a row, the title of Farr 40 World Champions, title which was gained two times also by Daniele Fiaschi. Albarelli e Pilastro won this year, in the waters of Porto Cervo, Sardinia, the ISAF Offshore Team World Championship. Pierluigi de Felice, who also took part in the last America's Cup, is at the moment at the top of the match race world rankings with the helmsman Paolo Cian.

After some days of rest, Mascalzone Latino will move to Newport where they will sail in the Mumm 30 World Championship, taking place from October 1st throughout 4th. Vincenzo Onorato will be at the helm of his boat, supported by Adrian Stead as tactician.