In the waters of Barcelona, superiority rhymes with Luna Rossa. Team Prada Pirelli pulled away over the weekend, securing a series of four consecutive victories and taking a 4-0 lead over American Magic. In this semifinal round, Luna Rossa outclassed the American boat with a double comeback led by Spithill, Bruni, and their teammates.
On the first day, Luna Rossa was forced to chase due to poor starts. On the second day, Team Prada Pirelli made a complete comeback, sailing flawlessly and taking full advantage of the southern breeze that had picked up to 15 knots. American Magic could only follow, unable to pose any significant threat to Luna Rossa.
Team Prada broke the 50-knot barrier, reaching 51 knots during race 4, which it won by a couple of seconds. At some points during the race, skipper Max Sirena’s vessel nearly reached 100 km/h (about 95 km/h). Ineos also played its part, speeding past 50 knots (4-0 over Alinghi, which is close to elimination).
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In race 3, Luna Rossa remained unstoppable, with American Magic forced to tack immediately after the start. Luna Rossa took control of the race, navigating expertly on the wind and maintaining a consistent lead over its rivals thanks to a tactical strategy that paid off.
With the 3-0 already secured, Luna Rossa started race 4 in the same way, taking the windward position and staying ahead of American Magic. Approaching the first buoy with a six-second lead, Luna Rossa continued to dominate until the penultimate leg. The American boat managed to recover the deficit and closed in on Luna Rossa. It was an exciting finish, but the Italian boat maintained control and crossed the finish line just two seconds ahead. The final against the British Ineos team is now within reach; only one more point is needed.
