As the cars roared round the Principality of Monaco at the F1 Grand Prix this weekend, Pierre Casiraghi and his team Malizia were breaking speed records on the water in Riva del Garda (26th-29th May 2016) at their first official GC32 regatta.
Pierre, the catamaran’s driver has taken on a mighty challenge. Assisted by four experienced sailors in Sébastien Col, Boris Herrmann, Richard Mason and Adam Piggott, coached by Pierre-Alexis Ponsot, the Yacht Club de Monaco’s Vice-President was competing against eight international teams, some from the America’s Cup like Franck Cammas (Team France), Iain Percy (Artemis) and Glenn Ashby (Team New Zealand).
“To race against such famous teams is a dream come true. I think the class is very attractive. The boat is super quick and aggressive which I love. For this first regatta it was important for us to test the boat, break-in the crew and above all see how we measured up against other teams,” explains Pierre Casiraghi. “Obviously we have to improve, particularly on some of the manoeuvres, but I want to thank all the team most sincerely for their commitment and what has been a great start.”
Indeed, the end result for the Monegasque GC32 is more than positive with 19 races completed over an intense very windy four days, this being the first of five stages on the 2016 circuit. Equipped with foils, the GC32s are quick to take off and reach impressive speeds. The crew on Malizia even set their own speed record on the Saturday, topping out at 38.4 knots in the first race of the day which they won, to which can be added two third places.
In the final overall ranking, Franck Cammas (Norauto) beat Sébastien Schneiter associated with Glenn Ashby (Team Tilt). As for Pierre Casiraghi he was 2nd in the owner-driver category.
Next stage: Malcesine in Italy from 7th to 10th July 2016.
