After 11 years of goals that have entered the history of ocean navigation and more than two hundred thousand miles covered, the collaboration between Giovanni Soldini and Maserati, a long and exciting partnership born in 2012 around the project of the monohull Maserati VOR70, and in 2016, confirmed and strengthened by the passage to the trimaran Maserati Multi70, which brought foiling technology to the ocean, being the first to mount a foil under the keel, comes to an end.
Experimentation, technological advancement and sporting performance, with extraordinary results on all fronts, became the heart of the alliance between the Italian sailor and the Trident. Over the course of the decade, hand in hand with the development of appendages, aerodynamic studies, trim tests, and energy management, Giovanni Soldini and his team have set 9 new records on historic routes and participated in 27 regattas around the world. A history studded with successes ranging from the 13,219 nautical miles of the Golden Route from New York to San Francisco via Cape Horn, sailed in 2013 on the Maserati monohull in 47 days, 42 minutes and 29 seconds, to the victory of the Cape2Rio (2014) and the wonderful performance in the Rolex Sydney-Hobart (2016).
And then again the achievements aboard the Maserati Multi70 multihull with the record of the Hong Kong-London route (2018), completed in 36 days, 2 hours, 37 minutes and 2 seconds, shattering the previous record by 5 days; the English Channel record and the record on the original Fastnet route (23 hours, 51 minutes and 16 seconds) recorded in 2021, as well as numerous victories in the RORC Transatlantic Race, RORC Caribbean 600 and Rolex Middle Sea Race.
Starring spectacular and unforgettable challenges, Maserati Multi70 also remains the only MOD to have sailed around the world. And not just once, but four times (one on the monohull and three on the Maserati Multi70), the last of which, in 2023, in full energy autonomy thanks to the installation on board of a photovoltaic system and an electric engine. As a result, Maserati Multi70 also became the first ocean racing yacht capable of self-producing all the energy needed for long sailing.
Since 2022 the trimaran has been at the service of UNESCO’s monitoring programme, and has contributed along its routes to the collection of data such as CO2, salinity and temperature, which are very valuable for the scientific community.
Giovanni Soldini comments: “It has been a great honour and also a great responsibility to take the Trident and its values around the world: an exciting, adventurous experience full of discoveries, conquests, innovations and flights over the ocean. With the invaluable support of Maserati it has been possible to experiment at the highest level and go further with feats and results that we are proud of. I would like to thank the Maserati team and all the partners who have accompanied us on this journey of over two hundred thousand miles. Lastly, a special thanks to all the people on the crew who over these years have contributed with passion and competence to achieve beautiful and important goals with me.”
Davide Grasso: “Giovanni has taken the Trident over the seas for more than a decade and it has been an honor for us to match the Maserati name with such a talented, exemplary, and passionate sportsman and human being, as well as a model of tenacity, courage, and dedication to his work and our common values. As an important partnership for our brand comes to an end, we are very grateful to Giovanni for his long-standing commitment and for being the best brand’s ambassador around the world. Over the years we have shared exciting adventures, glorious moments, and unforgettable records, which will forever remain in the sporting history of Maserati.”
Photo © Tommaso Ausili
