Back to previous page    Language   Italian   Spanish

Luna Rossa wins the Naples Preliminary Regatta

Four fleet-race wins and 71 points take Luna Rossa to victory at the America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta in Naples

Luna Rossa wins the Naples Preliminary Regatta after beating Emirates Team New Zealand in the decisive match race

Luna Rossa won the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta in Naples after beating Emirates Team New Zealand in the final match race on 27 September. The Italian team had already finished first in the fleet-racing standings with 71 points from a possible 80, winning four of the eight races held in the Bay of Naples.

The decisive match race against New Zealand

Luna Rossa and Emirates Team New Zealand secured the top two places in the standings with one fleet race still to sail, guaranteeing their places in the winner-takes-all final.

The two AC40s remained close during the opening stages of the match race before Luna Rossa established a lead and held it to the finish.

The result gave the Italian team its second consecutive Preliminary Regatta victory after also defeating Emirates Team New Zealand in the Cagliari final in May 2026.

Four wins from eight fleet races

Before the final, Luna Rossa completed the fleet-racing phase with 71 points from a possible 80 and four victories from eight races.

The Italian team won both races on the final day. In Race 7, it finished ahead of Emirates Team New Zealand and secured its place in the final with one race to spare. Luna Rossa then won the eighth and final fleet race ahead of La Roche-Posay Racing Team and ARC Team USA.

The foundation for the result had been laid during the first two days, when Luna Rossa established and then consolidated its overall lead.

Naples tests the AC40 fleet

The Preliminary Regatta was contested in AC40s, the one-design foiling yachts being used during this stage of the build-up to the 38th America’s Cup.

Conditions in the Bay of Naples changed considerably across the three days. Light winds allowed only two races to be completed on 25 September, while stronger north-easterly conditions on the following day produced four closely contested fleet races.

The official America’s Cup report recorded Luna Rossa exceeding 47 knots during downwind manoeuvres on the second day.

Consistency builds the winning score

The Naples regatta was not a sequence of uninterrupted Luna Rossa victories. La Roche-Posay Racing Team won twice on the second day, while Emirates Team New Zealand remained consistently among the leading boats.

Luna Rossa’s advantage was built through a combination of victories and regular high finishes. After six races, the Italian team led the standings with 51 points, ahead of New Zealand on 43 and Alinghi on 38.

Two further victories on the final day lifted the total to 71 points and sent Luna Rossa into the match race as the leading boat from the fleet-racing phase.

From Cagliari to Naples on the road to 2027

The Naples victory follows Luna Rossa’s success at the Preliminary Regatta in Cagliari, where the Italian team had also defeated Emirates Team New Zealand in the final.

The Preliminary Regattas form part of the build-up to the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup, which will be held in Naples in 2027. At this stage, the AC40 format gives the teams both fleet-racing and match-racing competition while also incorporating Youth and Women’s crews into the programme.

Naples therefore produced another direct contest between Luna Rossa and the New Zealand Defender, this time on the same waters that will host the America’s Cup in 2027.

27 September 2026
© MED Yachting Editorial Team
Luna Rossa wins the Naples Preliminary Regatta
__
The information in this article has been sourced from and adapted from official sources and/or press releases, in accordance with our editorial code of ethics.