Maserati Sets Sail on Record Bid

Maserati Sets Sail on Record Bid

Legendary for its high speed motorsport records, Maserati will set out in February to set another speed record, but this time it will be on water, not land, when the super maxi yacht ‘Maserati’ bids to break the North Atlantic crossing speed record from Spain to the Bahamas.

The record for the run from the Spanish port of Cadiz to San Salvador in the Bahamas, 3884 miles long, is controlled by the World Sailing Speed Record Council, the international body that provides official status to the fastest sailing times along the historic routes once plied by sailing clippers.

The record has been set by Trimarans and is presently held by Frank Cammas who set the record of seven days, ten hours, 58 minutes and 53 seconds aboard Groupama3 in 2007 at an average speed of 21.7 knots. Maserati will be the first monohull to try and win the record since the triple hull domination started and will mean trimming days, not hours, off the time set by the last monohull to hold the record.

“The challenge is a demanding one, given the length and the difficulty of the route”, explains Giovanni Soldini, skipper of Maserati. “During the first part our concerns will be with the area of high pressure blocking our path about the Azores. During the second part the difficulties will be posed by fronts and depressions which, if too low, will slow the boat down. At the same time it’s great to have a chance like this and I am delighted with the entire crew”.

In addition to skipper Soldini, Maserati will be crewed by seven of the world’s leading yachtsmen, the so called ‘rock stars’ of the sport with a past track record in open ocean-going regattas and in competitions such as the America’s Cup. German Boris Herrmann (navigator), American Brad Van Liew (watch leader) and Spaniard David Vera (watch leader) will make up a team completed by four Italians: Gabriele Olivo (trimmer), Guido Broggi (boat captain), Gerardo Siciliano (second bowman), and Corrado Rossignoli (first bowman).

Backing for this challenge is provided by Maserati, the main partner in the endeavour, flanked by the Swiss bank BSI (Generali Group), and by Generali, which features in the capacity of co-sponsor. The official suppliers to the undertaking are Vodafone Italia, Murphy&Nye, Bulgari, Official Time Keeper, and Boero Bartolomeo S.p.A.

Live coverage of the yachting ventures of Maserati is available on the dedicated w Giovanni Soldini-Maserati web site (www.maserati.soldini.it). In addition to news, video footage, and photos directly from the boat, there will also be reports on the meteorological conditions and it will be possible to follow the position and the speed of Maserati.

ENDS

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