Matteo Plazzi (born in Ravenna) is an Italian sailor who has competed in multiple America's Cups.
Plazzi's first foray into the America's Cup was with Azzurra in the 1987 Louis Vuitton Cup. [1] In addition to competing in the America's Cup, Matteo Plazzi has also raced around the world as a crew member onboard Winston in the 1993–94 Whitbread Round the World Race.
Plazzi was part of the Luna Rossa Challenge team that won the 2000 Louis Vuitton Cup, the Challenger Selection Series which took place in Auckland in advance of the 2000 America's Cup. Matteo Plazzi remained stayed with Luna Rossa Challenge for the 2003 and 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup America's Cup campaigns [1] [2] before joining Oracle Racing and as navigator on USA 17 when it won the 2010 America's Cup. [3] Plazzi returned to Luna Rossa Challenge for the 2013 America's Cup.
Matteo Plazzi is the Technical Director of the Prada Cup, the Challenger Selection Series which will take place in 2021, the precursor to the 36th America's Cup in Auckland.
Oracle Team USA is an American yacht racing syndicate initially formed to compete for the 2003 America's Cup. They competed again in the 2007 event before winning the 33rd America's Cup regatta in 2010 – representing the Golden Gate Yacht Club. The team also won the 34th America's Cup in 2013.
Team New Zealand or TNZ is a sailing team based in Auckland, New Zealand representing the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.
Dean Barker is a New Zealand yachtsman. He is best known internationally for his participation in America's Cup yacht races.
Christopher Stuart Dickson is a sailor from New Zealand. He was world youth champion three years in succession and later became world match race champion three times. He also skippered several yachts in America's Cup racing, and for New Zealand at the 2000 Summer Olympics, and in numerous other sailing competitions.
The 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup held in Valencia, Spain, from April 16 to June 6 was the event used to select the challenger for the 2007 America's Cup. Eleven potential challengers competed in the competition which consisted of two round robins, two semi-finals and a final. The winner was Emirates Team New Zealand, who challenged the defender Alinghi in June 2007 for the America's Cup.
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, originally named Prada Challenge, then Luna Rossa Challenge, is an Italian sailboat racing syndicate first created to compete for the 2000 America's Cup. It won the Louis Vuitton Cup on their first attempt in 2000, but then lost the America's Cup match against the defending champion team, Team New Zealand.
Francesco de Angelis is an Italian yachtsman. He was the first and so far only non-angloamerican skipper to win the Louis Vuitton Cup in Auckland in 2000 with Luna Rossa (ITA45).
The Louis Vuitton Pacific Series was a match race regatta in America's Cup Class yachts in Auckland, New Zealand during January and February 2009. Racing started on 30 January. The Louis Vuitton Pacific Series was organised in association with the New Zealand Government, Emirates Team New Zealand, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, Auckland City and Skycity Entertainment Group. Bruno Troublé was Louis Vuitton's organizer and spokesperson for the Series.
The 6th Louis Vuitton Cup was held in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2003. The winner, Alinghi, went on to challenge for and win the 2003 America's Cup.
The 5th Louis Vuitton Cup was held in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2000. The winner, Prada Challenge, went on to challenge for the 2000 America's Cup. It was the first time in the competition's history that there would not be an American challenger or defender.
The Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland was the second in a scheduled series of regattas that compete for the Louis Vuitton Trophy. The regatta was held in Auckland between 7–21 March 2010. The Louis Vuitton Trophy format uses existing International America's Cup Class yachts loaned to the regatta by various America's Cup racing syndicates, keeping costs low for the competing teams.
The 8th Louis Vuitton Cup was held during July and August 2013, in San Francisco, California, United States of America. The three contenders were Artemis Racing (Sweden), Emirates Team New Zealand, and Luna Rossa Challenge (Italy). After a preliminary round robin to determine seeding, Artemis Racing was eliminated in the semi-final round by Luna Rossa Challenge by four races to none. In the final, Emirates Team New Zealand beat Luna Rossa Challenge by seven races to one, and went on to challenge Oracle Team USA for the 2013 America's Cup.
Francesco "Checco" Bruni is a professional sailor from Italy, together with James Spithill, helmsman of Luna Rossa during the America's Cup 2021.
Michele Ivaldi is an Italian yacht racer who competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Massimiliano "Max" Sirena is an Italian sailor who has competed in multiple America's Cups.
Gavin Brady is a New Zealand sailor who has competed in the Summer Olympics and multiple America's Cups.
Derek Saward is a New Zealand sailor who has competed in multiple America's Cups.
Gilberto Nobili is an Italian sailor who has sailed in multiple America's Cups.
Rodney Ardern is a New Zealand sailor who has competed in multiple America's Cups and Volvo Ocean Races.
In the America's Cup, Italy was three-time winner of the Challenger Selection Series: the Louis Vuitton Cup in 1992 with Il Moro di Venezia, in 2000 with Luna Rossa and in 2021 at the Prada Cup, again with Luna Rossa.