This is the second consecutive challenge for the team led by Italian shipping and ferry service magnate Vincenzo Onorato. Representing the Reale Yacht Club Canottieri Savoia, Team Capitalia has acquired the two Stars & Stripes boats, USA-66 and USA-77, from Team Dennis Conner.
In Auckland in 2002, as a new team to the America's Cup there were many highlights along the way for Mascalzone Latino, including an exciting win over the French team and a tough, memorable battle with its Italian rivals. Despite an early exit from the event, Onorato wasn't too disappointed, having come into the Louis Vuitton Cup looking to gain experience for further challenges. True to his word, this challenge is more serious, with far more funding behind it, and loftier expectations.
The new team is led on the water by skipper and tactician Vasco Vascotto, a newcomer to the America's Cup squad, who will rely on helmsman Flavio Favini to steer the boat. Favini was tactician in the last Mascalzone Latino Cup campaign.
The design programme is spearheaded by Harry Dunning, an ex-senior designer with Reichel & Pugh. Dunning was part of the team behind the Young America boats in 1999 and the Stars & Stripes boats for the 2002 campaign that Mascalzone has just acquired.
The Italians made a good debut at the 32nd America's Cup during the Valencia Louis Vuitton Acts in June. The team wasn't particularly strong on the match races, finishing Act 4 in eighth position, but Vascotto's massive experience was on display in the fleet races earning fifth place.
The team was slightly better in the match races in Sweden, claiming seventh position, but fell to ninth in the fleet racing, hampered by the fluky conditions and the short series of three races. In Trapani, the Latin Rascals were disappointed by their ninth and tenth place finishes in front of an Italian crowd. The team finished the season in ninth place on the season championship table, just four points out of sixth place.
The 2006 season was a break-out year for the 'latin rascals'. Mid-fleet finishes in all three Louis Vuitton Acts was good enough for fifth place on the season, a big improvement over 2005. This was also reflected on the Louis Vuitton Ranking for challengers - the Italians leapfrogged over both Areva and Victory Challenge into fifth place.
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