A key attraction of the flying GC32 catamaran is that it provides individuals with a way to experience the latest state of the art foil-borne yachting. Typically private owners join the GC32 Racing Tour having been successful in other catamarans circuits like the Extreme Sailing Series or in high performance dinghy catamarans but also from one design keelboats such as the Melges 32 and Farr 30. It is for this reason that the GC32 Racing Tour several years ago introduced its own Owner-Driver Championship, compete with prizes at each event and for the season. With one week to go from the GC32 Riva Cup, opening event of the 2022 GC32 Racing Tour, this Championship is being revitalised this season following a break due to the pandemic.
Overdue in his return to the GC32 Racing Tour has been GC32 International Class Association President Simon Delzoppo who competed in the 2017 and 2018 seasons, ending on a high with a third place finish, including a race win at the final event in Toulon. His .film Racing also finished third in the Owner-Driver championship that year.
On board .film AUS Racing with Delzoppo this season will be two who sailed previously with the Australian team – Ed Powys (mainsheet/tactics) and reigning GC32 World Champion Rhys Mara (trim). Joining his team for the first time will be the otherwise familiar figures of America’s Cup and Volvo Ocean Race sailor Guy Endean (float) and the Kiwi SailGP team’s James Wierzbowski (bow).
“I’m really happy to have such an awesome team this season and to be representing Australia with a good bunch of Aussies!” jokes Delzoppo (technically Endean is a Kiwi and Powys is a Brit with a Australian passport), adding on a more serious note: “We will be putting in a fair bit of training and hopefully will get up to speed pretty quick after a few years away from the GC32 Racing Tour. We plan on competing in all five events, so the Owner-Driver Championship will be our first goal, along with giving the pro teams some good competition.”
Ahead of .film Racing on the Owner-Driver Championship leaderboard in 2018 were Jason Carroll’s Argo and Erik Maris’ Zoulou. Both are returning this season. Carroll has some additional big guns on board in Match Racing World Champion Taylor Canfield and America’s Cup and Volvo Ocean Race sailor Luke Parkinson. He is looking forward to their first GC32 outing this year: “Riva is our home away from home and our favourite place to race the GC32. We’re excited to take on the challenge and to sail again with our old friends on the circuit.”
Similarly on Erik Maris’ Zoulou, the French team have engaged the services of the French SailGP team’s Timothé Lapauw, who significantly has also previously been a regular crew on the GC32 Racing Tour with 2021 defend champions Alinghi and hopefully will bring with him some winning knowledge and approach.
“Obviously, we very much look forward to this new season, which promises to be exciting with a great mix of old and new teams,” says Maris. “I look forward to racing against the other owner-drivers even though the beauty of this class is the mix of fantastic professionals and amateurs.”
A privately owned team, but where the owner sails on board trimming mainsheet is Christian Zuerrer’s Black Star Sailing Team that this year will embark on its third season on the GC32 Racing Tour. The Swiss team finished 2021 in third place but disappointingly lost their podium position in the very last race of the GC32 World Championship in Villasimius by a single point to Team Tilt.
“We made a lot of progress last season and we reached our goal of being on the podium overall and at events and I am happy that we are staying as the same team together for the 2022 season,” says Zuerrer. “We had a good training week with the other teams in Lagos in early March so it will definitely be different to other years when we just jumped in. Now we trust each other and know each other more.
“I am happy to have new and old teams coming back after the pandemic. It is still great fun and I enjoy the close racing.”
The 2022 GC32 Racing Tour will set sail on Lake Garda with the GC32 Riva Cup over 25-29th June.
2022 GC32 Racing Tour
25 – 29 May: Riva del Garda (ITA)
22 – 26 June: Lagos (POR)
13-17 July: Lagos World Championship (POR)
14-18 September: Villasimius (ITA)
19-23 October: Mar Menor (ESP)
24 January 2022
The new GC32 Racing Tour season returns to Lagos in 2022
After considerable effort went into laying on a successful series in 2021 despite the pandemic, the new GC32 Racing Tour season will see the show fully back on the road, normal service resumed. The five venues for 2022, the GC32 Racing Tour’s ninth season, will include several of the best in Europe for foiling catamaran competition, including a must-attend World Championship.
The GC32 Racing Tour remains the sole racing circuit for competition between the GC32 foiling catamarans, designed by Dr. Martin Fischer, now Chief Designer for the British INEOS Britannia America’s Cup Challenger. With strong competition between pro teams, including several also competing in SailGP, and private owner-drivers, who have their own ranking and prizes, the circuit represents the most cost-effective way into foil-born yachting. The five-man GC32 is also the most accessible way, being a one design, fitted with ‘standard’ soft sail rig and no complex hydraulics while still being capable of blistering speeds approaching 40 knots.
After the last two events were disappointingly canceled there, it is with great anticipation that the GC32 teams return to one of their favorite venues: Riva del Garda, renowned for its flat water, big winds, and its dramatic backdrop with the Dolomite mountains encircling it on three sides. On one side of the race track is a giant sheer cliff, the location of the famous car chase that opens the James Bond film Quantum of Solace.
The GC32 Racing Tour has scheduled visits to Lake Garda annually since 2016. Italy’s most famous lake for racing sailors has since become the foundation of the GC32 Racing Tour, annually holding its opening event there. This position was galvanized when the town in Trentino, at the very northernmost tip of Lake Garda, was chosen as the venue for the first GC32 World Championship in 2018.
From Italy, the GC32 Racing Tour migrates to Portugal’s Algarve, where it has a similarly long, fruitful relationship with the town of Lagos. From an Italian lake, the flying catamarans transfer to the Atlantic Ocean, albeit protected from the waves by Cape St Vincent, the southwesternmost tip of Europe just 10km away. This permits strong sea breeze conditions but flat water – perfect for foiling.
The final two events on the 2022 GC32 Racing Tour will take place over 14-18 September and 19-23 October in venues to be announced shortly
It was in Lagos in June last year that the flying catamaran circuit resumed after 18 months of events cancelled due to the pandemic. To minimize travel, two consecutive events were held there, a formula welcomed by the teams and the local Portuguese hosts, so this will be repeated again in 2022 with the generous support from the City of Lagos, Marina de Lagos, and Sopromar, and other supporting partners.
The second event of the 2022 GC32 Racing Tour will take place in Lagos over 22-26th June, followed by the third over 13-17th July. This latter is significant as it will be the fourth edition of the GC32 World Championship after the GC32 was officially recognized by World Sailing in 2017. The GC32 remains the only foiling catamaran ‘yacht’ officially permitted to hold World Championships.
The final two events on the 2022 GC32 Racing Tour will take place over 14-18 September and 19-23 October in venues to be announced shortly.
Christian Scherrer, manager of the GC32 Racing Tour commented: “I’m very much looking forward to getting back to a full five-event GC32 Racing Tour season. To kick off the circuit again back on Lake Garda with our classic GC32 Riva Cup season opener is a great start. Another GC32 top spot follows in June in Lagos Portugal with first the GC32 Lagos Cup and then the GC32 World Championship. We are grateful for the local support and looking forward to exciting World Championship with a strong fleet of 10+ GC32s.“