18 JULY 2010

Luca Lalli Named 2010 Audi Melges 32 Sailing Series Champion, Wears Malcesine Crown

Malcesine, 18 July 2010 - Luca Lalli, aboard his B-Lin Sailing Melges 32, with tactician Lorenzo Bressani and crew of Federico Michetti, Flavio Favini, Carlo Zermini, Luca Faravelli, Stefano Nicolussi and Lorenzo Del Rio, is the 2010 Audi Melges 32 Sailing Series Champion. He also delivered an astounding last day performance to win the Malcesine edition of the four-part series.

"We are very pleased and excited," said Lalli. "We started almost dead even with Lanfranco, but in the end we were able to sail well and win. I have a great team at my side, which has made me so proud. This is the perfect best step for us as we now set our sights on the World Championship title in San Francisco, CA and look forward to trying to sail our very best in late September."

In second overall in the series is Lanfranco Cirillo on Fantastica with tactician Michele Paoletti. Carlo Alberini on Calvi Network is third.

Only two races were ran on Sunday with the breeze blowing more than 20 knots and Lalli demolishing any chance Cirillo ever had of capturing the event win as well as the series victory. American entrant John Kilroy on Samba Pa Ti with tactician Stu Bannatyne won race 1 and 2010 European Melges 32 Champion Joe Woods on Red with Paul Goodison on tactics won the final heat of the regatta.

Lalli, a mere rookie among the powerful and ever-tough European Melges 32 fleet, held steadfast and true all season long proving that consistency can mean success. Cirillo won the first event in Lerici last March and maintained the series lead up until Malcesine, however Lalli’s loss at the third Audi event in Porto Cervo really brought things into focus for the team. There was the slight chance, that they could still win the series title. Despite Cirillo’s repeated attacks and gestures of intimidation, Lalli persevered.

A heated battle for third between Mauro Mocchegiani on Rush Diletta, Alberini and Filippo Pacinotti on Brontolo was fierce. Mocchegiani took fourth while Pacinotti finished in fifth.

The fourth and final stage of the Audi Melges 32 Sailing Series 2010 saw Edoardo Lupi on Torpyone in second, behind Lalli by two. Alberini was third.

Top Ten Results (Final, After 8 Races)
1.) Luca Lalli/Lorenzo Bressani, B-Lin Sailing; 5-[11]-3-5-2-7-2-3 = 27
2.) Edoardo Lupi/Branko Brcin, Torpyone; 1-8-[10]-1-4-5-8-2 = 29
3.) Carlo Alberini/Gabriele Benussi, Calvi Network; 3-1-7-3-3-8-[12]-10 = 35
4.) Mauro Mocchegiani/Matteo Ivaldi, Rush Diletta; 11-3-6-2-5-2-[15]-6 = 35
5.) John Kilroy, Stu Bannatyne, Samba Pa Ti; 10-4-1-7-9-[11]-1-4 = 36
6.) Joe Woods/Paul Goodison, Red; 7-7-2-8-7-[15]-6-1 = 38
7.) Filippo Pacinotti/Freddy Loof, Brontolo; 4-2-5-6-[13]-13-10-7 = 47
8.) Jean-Francois Cruette, Christian Ponthieu, Teasing Machine; 8-5-[13]-12-10-3-7-5 = 50
9.) Lanfranco Cirillo/Michele Paoletti, Fantastica; 2-9-[12]-4-1-10-[14]-13 = 51
10.) Edoardo Pavesio, Carlo Fracassoli, Fra Martina; 12-[16]-4-11-12-4-11-8 = 62

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Top Ten Results (Final, After 4 Events)
1.) Luca Lalli, B-Lin Sailing
2.) Lanfranco Cirillo, Fantastica
3.) Carlo Alberini, Calvi Network
4.) Mauro Mocchegiani, Rush Diletta
5.) Filippo Pacinotti, Brontolo
6.) Edoardo Lupi, Torpyone
7.) Edoardo Pavesio, Fra Martina
8.) Francesco Martino, Audi Giacomel
9.) Wolfgang Stolz, Opus One
10.) Ferdinando Battistella, Cuervo Y Sobrinos

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