The “Alla Grande Pirelli” wins The Transat CIC

He's done it, this time too. This is the fourth success in a row for Ambrogio Beccaria, who has earned his place in the Olympus of oceanic sailing. The challenge was one of the toughest: a solo regatta from Lorient to New York with adverse weather and the typical harsh temperatures of the North Atlantic, giant waves, 40 knots of wind and contrary currents. But the Milanese skipper pulled out all the stops and gave it his all aboard his vessel “Alla Grande Pirelli” - fast and high-performance as ever - crossing the finish line of The Transat CIC first in the Class40 category at 05:47 (Italian time), after 11 days 16 hours 17 minutes and 55 seconds at sea and with an average effective speed of 11.70 knots. During the race Beccaria never lost the top positions of the fleet, and then moved to the lead in the middle of the race, keeping it, except for a few short stretches, all the way until the end.

“I just completed the regatta I've always dreamed of, I really hoped it would go like this… I knew it would be full of pitfalls and I wanted to tackle it with the right spirit. I never lost heart and I gave it everything that I had”, comments Beccaria aboard the “Alla Grande Pirelli”. “It was a tough race, the hardest one I've ever sailed, but it's also the one that maybe I handled the best. The Transat was a completely new race for me: sailing out of the trade winds is actually amazing, because the weather changes all the time”.

Ambrogio Beccaria, who had already won the Transat Jacques Vabre last November, in addition to the Normandy Channel Race 2023 and the 40' Malouine Lamotte, took home his fourth victory in a row and confirmed his ranking as the undisputed champion of Italian oceanic sailing and one of the best oceanic sailors of his generation. He was supported this season too by the main and lead sponsor Pirelli and the global sponsor Mapei. They were joined by Sponsors Banca Passadore and K-Way.

As per the weather forecast, the fifteenth edition of The Transat CIC proved to be a very tough regatta: Ambrogio is second, behind Nicolas d'Estais and ahead of his arch-rival, the strong Ian Lipinski. Together, they lead the fleet until the middle of the race when the “Alla Grande Pirelli”, after a battle of gybes with its opponents, manages to take the lead. In just one day, Beccaria soars over more than 80 miles, making impressive speeds worthy of his rivals in the IMOCA 60 class, many of whom were overtaken by the “Alla Grande Pirelli” during his sprint to New York. After a sequence of four depressions, there is a lot of damage on board, including the loss of Code Zero at the head of the mast during a manoeuvre. However, Ambrogio did not let this get him down and he repairs a bulkhead which runs the risk of becoming delaminated, fixes the bowsprit's straightening system and the engine belt he needs to produce power. The miles earned, however, are soon lost because, as he crosses a completely windless ridge, his pursuer, Ian Lipinski, catches up and overtakes him. Thanks also to the Gulf Stream that slows down considerably, the two sail for several days a few miles away from each other. After a heart-pounding match race and a last night of stormy weather, Ambrogio on board the “Alla Grande Pirelli” crosses the finish line in the lead, thirty miles ahead of his pursuer.

The Transat CIC finish line was positioned 100 miles from the “Big Apple”: “Crossing the line in the middle of nowhere was a psychedelic experience; what with the fog and the lack of sleep, it was really strange!”  Beccaria recounted. After approximately 12 more hours of sailing the “Alla Grande Pirelli” entered the bay of New York triumphantly, welcomed by none other than the Statue of Liberty.