Maserati Multi 70 and Giovanni Soldini are ready for the start of the Rolex Fastnet Race, the 695-mile-long regatta organized by the Royal Ocean Racing Club. The multihulls will be the first to cross the starting line off Cowes (UK), on Sunday August 8th at 10 UTC (12 Italian time). With the Italian trimaran will set sail 15 other multihulls, including Jason Carroll’s MOD 70 Argo, and Cyril Dardashti’s 105’ Ultim 32/23 Maxi Edmond De Rothschild, skippered by Franck Cammas and Charles Caudrelier, who set the multihull record for the race in 2019 (1 day, 4 hours, 2 minutes and 26 seconds).
Giovanni Soldini explains: «The Rolex Fastnet Race is always a very tactical regatta, there are strong tidal currents and mandatory routes to avoid the marine traffic in the Channel. We are expecting to sail close-hauled with 25/30 knots for the first few hours of the course, then the wind should drop to 15 knots after the Isles of Scilly and there will be some wind holes to avoid. Once we round the Fastnet, the conditions will get better for us, we will first sail on a beam reach then on a tailwind: we made big steps forward performance-wise with wide angles. We will have to sail well and avoid mistakes: we are ready!»
Aboard Maserati Multi 70 with Giovanni Soldini for this challenge is an exceptional crew: for the first time sailing on the Italian trimaran is Ned Collier Wakefield, English sailor who skippers PowerPlay, the MOD 70 frequently challenged by Maserati Multi 70. Coming back aboard also John Elkann, chairman and executive director of Stellantis, who already was part of the crew for many races, including the Cape2Rio 2020. With them also Vittorio Bissaro, Guido Broggi, Oliver Herrera Perez, Francesco Pedol and Matteo Soldini.
Once the competitors set sail from Cowes, they will head west. Once they get out of the Solent, they will cross the Celtic Sea to the Fastnet, off Ireland, before heading back to the finish line, off Cherbourg, on the northern coast of France.
In the past few months, Giovanni Soldini’s Team modified the trimaran’s rudders, in order to push Maserati Multi 70 to better performances and higher speeds. The Italian Team is always working on the “laboratory boat”, in collaboration with the engineers of the Maserati Innovation Lab, who transferred their know-how in aerodynamics and performance and with whom they share the same values of research and experimentation aimed at innovation. The Italian trimaran is ready for the first challenge with the new mainsail bearing the name Grecale, with which it was announced that the Maserati SUV will be presented in November.
To follow the Rolex Fastnet Race visit www.rolexfastnetrace.com
