The preparation of the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team
In all sports, athletes prepare for big races by participating in intermediate events, such as playing matches or taking part in warm-up competitions, simulating in every respect what could happen on the actual day, whenever that may be. The America's Cup is an exception. Unlike most sports, in the America's Cup there are no intermediate steps during which you can get an idea of whether you are doing well or not. You work on a project for nearly four years, and only on the day of the first regatta do you really know how well you've prepared.
The last of the preliminary regattas will take place from August 22nd to 25th, when the six teams take to the waters aboard their AC75 boats, Defender included. This will be followed by the Luis Vuitton Cup: two Round Robins from August 29th to September 8th, with the semi-final going from September 14th to 19th and the final from September 26th to October 5th. The final, decisive match, the true heart of the America's Cup, will take place from October 12th to 21st.
The road to the America's Cup is never plain sailing, nor is it straightforward or certain. We spent a day with the team led by Max Sirena to study their training sessions, strategies and the attitude with which they face and prepare for the 2024 competition, the only way to uncover, first-hand, the team's insights and dynamics. And beware: the “team” is not just the crew on board, but encompasses over 130 people, in a very complex and articulated machine, involved in the development, construction, testing, and tuning of the regatta boat, as well as in the administration, communication, and logistics departments. Then, of course, there's the crew, who plays the starring role in the water. There are three main roles on board: helmsmen – there will be two of them, tasked with sailing the boat and making the final calls on tactics and strategy –; trimmers, called upon to regulate both the flight and the submerged foils, and the sailing plan; cyclors, in other words, those who have to produce the energy necessary to regulate the sails. Beside them are people who specialise in various sectors and supporting figures, such as medical and athletic training staff and technical coaches (maneuvers, strategy, tactics and rules).
Preparing such a large and complex team for a big event is no easy task. “We often say that time is the only thing we can't buy,” states Gilberto Nobili, nicknamed Gillo, Operations Manager and Mechatronics Coordinator of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli. Now at his seventh America's Cup (having notched up three wins), Gillo has also participated in numerous international events aboard TP52, Maxi Yacht and Extreme40 boats and sailed for four years (2004-2008) in the Star class alongside Francesco Bruni, one of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli's helmsmen. “There are actually a lot of things we can't buy, but strategic decisions about what, how and when to do certain things certainly have a huge impact on the outcome.”
As preparation time is long and stretches over several years, making the right choices is crucial: "You have to get the basics right and allocate the right resources in all areas, trying to understand as soon as possible what can really contribute to the result and what is unnecessary," says Nobili. “Although in a competition like the America's Cup a great deal is left to the responsibility, inventiveness and dedication of the individual, it is still a team effort and all team members are asked not only to work together, but also to excel in their specific role.”
Every aspect of a race can be imagined, planned and scheduled, but then you have to be there and stay on the ball to give added value to the team. And perhaps this is the least obvious thing in the whole sports universe. That's why, unlike many other sports – almost all of them actually – the athletic training isn't as straightforward as you might imagine. “Normally a sport is characterised by clear and well-defined physical and physiological requirements. If I train for track-and-field, I know exactly what distance I have to run, and my training is a direct result of this choice. There are other sports which are a little more varied but, in our case, we are at the extreme opposite. Sailing at a wind speed of 6 knots is very different from when it's blowing at 20 knots, and it also means having a completely different boat to manage, control and power. The length and format of the regatta are only disclosed a few months before the event, and you only get to see the boat when it is almost ready,” explains Gilberto Nobili.
That's not to say there is no study or training involved. Indeed, you need to be physically ready for anything. So, the afterguard – helmsmen and trimmers – must be able to stay focused for long periods of time, even under strong physical and psychological stress, with excellent reflexes and coordination skills. In addition, a slim physique is required, due to the weight limits imposed, but it also needs to be strong and agile. The cyclors, on the other hand need to balance good endurance with highly variable maximum power demands. “All this can only be achieved with a well-balanced mixture of different types of training and preparation in the early stages of the campaign, subsequently moving on to role specialisation. This is not easy which is why we have the support of a group of external professionals that include athletic trainers, doctors, physiotherapists and mental coaches," adds Gillo.
Along with our physical preparation we also have technical and tactical prepping, which Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli carries out thanks to a group of coaches with plenty of experience in the 4 main areas of development: regatta strategy, match race, sailing and rules. And last but by no means least, the psychological part of the team iswell-coached. “We believe that the team as a whole must be able to handle the pressure and emotional tension, not just the crew”, explains Gillo. “The stress that a crew member must sustain is comparable to that experienced by a shore team member in the pre-regatta when moving on board to replace or fix a piece. The strength of the team lies in the mutual trust between people, knowing that each one of us always tries their best and that we will always be there to support one another. Strong teams have given up unexpectedly while others have emerged from critical situations specifically thanks to team spirit."
Of course, many decisions will determine the outcome before the start, as the speed of the boat is crucial and, in the end, the slowest boat never wins. So the teamwork begins during the development phase, well before the start signal. But then, at some point the regatta starts and everyone has to do their job to the best of their abilities. As Gilberto Nobili says, "there is no room for error: the boat can make certain maneuvers only and exclusively if everything is running in a perfectly coordinated way".
