What is Prada Cup?

From 15 January to 22 February, the Prada Cup will take place in Auckland, New Zealand, the sailing tournament that precedes the America's Cup, whose thirty-sixth edition is scheduled in the Hauraki Gulf from 6 to 15 March 2021. The competition sees three teams compete (the Italians of Prada Luna Rossa, the English of Ineos UK and the Americans of American Magic) to reach the first place and enter the America's Cup and challenge the other team already qualified: the Emirates Team New Zealand, the 'Defender' team, so the winner of the last edition of the competition in 2017. This year, Prada will be both, as usual, title sponsor of the Italian team together with Pirelli, and also presenting sponsors of the entire America's Cup.

In the years, the Italian fashion brand has managed to build an aesthetic of luxury around the world of sailing, with appreciated collections and products of the highest quality. These are products both for sailing enthusiasts and for those who wanted to wear elegant garments but with a more sporty cut. Prada is also the company that produces the trophy, silver made and designed by the designer Marc Newson. It is designed and hand built directly by some Florentine artisans selected by Prada.

The America's Cup is the oldest sports tournament in the world (the first race was held in 1851) and, since 2000, it takes place every three years - the last edition was in 2017, but due to the coronavirus, the competition has been moved by one year and will take place, in fact, in the year of the 170th anniversary of the sailing tournament. The Challenges of March, however, are only the final stage of a journey that consists of two other phases: the America's Cup World Series and, precisely, the Prada Cup. The World Series takes place between all four yatch clubs, namely competitors participating in the America's Cup, and the winner - in this case the Emirates New Zealand team - will enter the final stage directly, while the others will face each other in the Prada Cup to define the other challenger. Unlike the World Series that take place in marine areas all over the world (this year they were also scheduled in Italy, in Cagliari, then cancelled due to COVID-19), the Prada Cup takes place in the same place as the final stage of the America's Cup. 

Rules and schedule 

The Prada Cup regattas take place following the round robins, a system typical of the Italian group stage so that each challenger competes at least once against everyone else. The rounds are divided into two phases: the first from 15 to 17 January, in which two regattas will take place per day for a total of six matches in three days, the second (always at the rate of two matches per day) from 22 to 24 January. Based on the results you will draw a ranking with a score, and then you will split the board. From January 29 to February 2, the third and second teams ranked in a round robin sequence at the best of seven races will compete in the semifinals - so, to reach the final, a team will just have to win four rounds. The semi-final winning team will face the best-ranked first place in the final between February 13 and 22. He will win the final and qualify for the final stage of the America's Cup who I will reach before the seven rounds won. 

The Prada Cup will be broadcast by Sky Sport with all the live races and a channel dedicated entirely to the competition, with live broadcasts, studios and races broadcast in deferred during the day. In addition, the channel will be complete with information on the latest news and with special insights, interviews with the protagonists and updates. The torunament will be streamed also in the YouTube channel of America's Cup. For those who want to cheer instead we recommend following Luna Rossa's Instagram profile. 

The flying boats: l’AC75

In this edition the teams will compete on AC75 Class Rules hulls, one of the fastest classes (reaches 50 knots of speed, about 100 km/h) and technological in the world. Made mostly of carbon and aluminum, two very light but at the same time extremely resistant materials. The peculiarity of this hull are the two movable carbon drifts (those special wings attached to the hull), the innovative "foil arms", which allow the boat to rise on the water in order to limit friction: the expected speed is between 25 and 50 knots (between 45 and 92 kilometers per hour). Another new innovation of the AC75 is the "soft wing". The system consists of two mainsails hoisted in parallel, inside which are inserted the controls of the shape of the sail. According to official rules, each team can choose the number of crew members on the boat, and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli has 11, divided into 8 grinders, 2 helmsmen and a randista. 

Since 1997 Prada has invested in the Italian boat and Miuccia Prada herself has been godmother of the various boats, which over the years have achieved prestigious results including the victory of the Louis Vuitton Cup in 2000 right in the waters of the Gulf of Hauraki where the teams will compete in the coming weeks. In recent years, the Italian fashion house has accompanied Luna Rossa with important collections, such as the recent official merchandising for the Italian team. In general, the sailing outfit has achieved thanks to Prada - and other brands, including North Sails, born precisely for this type of sports activity - a style focused on elegance, so the comfort and elasticity of the materials are combined with the need to represent a team and a nation.