Maserati Multi 70 and Giovanni Soldini in San Francisco ready for the CA 500

Maserati Multi 70 and Giovanni Soldini in San Francisco ready for the CA 500
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The challenge against Argo and PowerPlay starts tomorrow.

Soldini: «We can’t wait to test Maserati Multi 70’s new settings»

Modena, May 29th, 2019 - Maserati Multi 70 Giovanni Soldini’s Team will set sail from San Francisco for the first edition of the CA 500 tomorrow at 13.00 local time (20.00 UTC and 22.00 Italian time). The CA 500 is the last event of the California Offshore Race Week, a series of races organized by the Encinal Yacht Club, the Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club, the Santa Barbara Yacht Club and the San Diego Yacht Club. The CA 500 course, from San Francisco to San Diego, is approximately 500 miles long: after crossing the starting line, off St. Francis Yacht Club, the fleet will have to leave Farallon Island Light to port before heading towards the finish line off San Diego. This year for the first time the CA 500 has been added to the California Offshore Race Week. The series, born in 2016, includes 3 other races, with shorter courses: the Spinnaker Cup, the Coastal Cup and the SoCal 300. There are 3 other boats entering the race alongside Maserati Multi 70: in the multihull category the American MOD 70 Argo, skippered by Jason Carroll, and the English MOD 70 PowerPlay, skippered by Peter Cunningham; in the monohull category Swan 461 Free.

This will be the first time Maserati Multi 70 will compete against both MOD 70s, which she has already challenged individually: the Italian trimaran has raced against Argo during the RORC Caribbean 600 in February 2019; the Team has competed against PowerPlay during the Rolex Middle Sea Race, in October 2018, and during the RORC Transatlantic Race, in November 2018. Maserati Multi 70’s Team conquered Multihull Line Honours in all three regattas. Maserati Multi 70 will sail in flying mode, unlike her direct rivals, who will sail in classic MOD mode. Through continuous research and tests to improve the trimaran’s flying performance, the Italian Team has developed new settings for the flying foils and T-shaped rudders. The two rudders, on starboard and port side, will be set to different compensation and foil area parameters, so the Team will be able to test these new configurations during the race.

Giovanni Soldini explains: «We’re very happy to participate in the CA 500, which is a great training for the Transpac (Transpacific Yacht Race, ed) and a perfect opportunity to race against our competitors. During this race we will carry out many tests, we can’t wait to try out the new configurations and settings both of the foils and rudders, and of the sails. Our attitude for this race will be different: we will be more focused on optimizing Maserati Multi 70’s flying performance and less concerned about what our competitors are doing».

During the first 12 hours of the race, weather forecasts show 25 knots of NW wind, with gusts up to 30 knots, and rough sea: it will be difficult for Maserati Multi 70 to fly steadily. Closer to the finish line, in the last 100 miles, the wind will drop abruptly, but at the moment the forecasts vary: the European models indicate a wind between 3 and 4 knots, whereas the American models are more optimistic. For the CA 500, alongside skipper Giovanni Soldini, there will be 6 professional sailors aboard Maserati Multi 70: Willy Altadill (ESP), trimmer; Guido Broggi (IT), mainsail trimmer;  Oliver Herrera Perez (ESP), bowman; Nico Malingri (IT), grinder and trimmer; François Robert (FRA), pitman; Matteo Soldini (IT), grinder and trimmer. CA 500 is the second regatta in Maserati Multi 70 and Giovanni Soldini’s 2019 racing season, following the RORC Caribbean 600 in February. The Italian Team will then participate in the 50th edition of the Transpacific Yacht Race, from Point Fermin, California, to Honolulu, Hawaii, starting on July 13th. After that, the Italian trimaran will set course towards Asia, to participate to the Hong Kong to Vietnam Race, starting on October 16th.

Maserati Multi 70 and Giovanni Soldini in San Francisco ready for the CA 500_team
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