Maserati and Soldini cross the finish line of the Rolex Middle Sea Race
Giovanni Soldini and Maserati Multi 70 win the Line Honors in the 41st edition of the Rolex Middle Sea Race: at 20.41 31 “on Monday, October 19, local time (18.41 31” UTC), they cross the finish line in front of Valletta , Malta, concluding the race in 2 days, 8 hours, 31 minutes and 31 seconds. The MOD 70 Mana, twin of the Maserati Multi 70, also with the Italian flag, ends the test at 20.55 35 “local time (18.55 35” UTC), 15 minutes after the Soldini trimaran.
The multihull record, set by Soldini in 2016, remains undefeated: 2 days, 1 hour, 25 minutes and 1 second.
“We knew it would be a difficult challenge,” says Soldini. “We know Mana skipper Brian Thompson well – we often find him because he races several MOD 70s we’ve raced on, he’s a great expert on these boats and it’s not easy to keep up with him, but this time we did!”
John Elkann, aboard Soldini, comments: “It was an intense but really beautiful race, a race of heart, head and arms. We are happy to be able to finish first after so many kilometers and so close.
Maserati Multi 70 and Mana departed from Valletta, Malta, on Saturday October 17 at 12:10 local time (10:10 UTC), and sailed a long regatta, not exceeding 5 miles in distance. After the passage of Capo Passero with 12 knots of northwesterly winds they climbed through Sicily towards the Strait of Messina, with a waning wind: Maserati Multi 70 made a route near the Sicilian coast, looking for a favorable turn, while Mana headed further east . Around midnight, about 12 hours after the start, the two MOD 70s crossed the Strait of Messina, again side by side.
After Stromboli, the northernmost point on the entire route, a ruthless race of matches began. “There was very little wind,” says Soldini, “we were very close and we went ahead at least 4 or 5 times, a fight on the last edge!” After a long day of calm, Maserati Multi 70 and Mana began to pick up speed thanks to a northwest wind that accompanied them almost to the finish line. “After Favignana we have always stayed in the lead, but it was not easy: we arrived only 15 minutes before our rivals!”
This edition of the Rolex Middle Sea Race attracted 50 participants. The multihull class, in addition to the two MOD 70s, has three other trimarans still in competition: Antoine Rabaste’s 80-foot Ultim’Emotion 2, the 63-foot Shockwave, powered by Jeff Mearing and Scott Klodowski, and the Multi 50 Primonial, with Sébastien Rogues. The classification in corrected time will be defined only at the end of the regatta.
The Maserati Multi 70 team that competed with Giovanni Soldini consisted of Cédric Bader, Vittorio Bissaro, Lorenzo Bressani, John Elkann, Oliver Herrera Pérez, Nico Malingri and Matteo Soldini.
Giovanni Soldini and his team, shortly after crossing the finish line, set sail to return to Italy: after two years circling the world, the Maserati Multi 70 will face a period under construction in La Spezia. Soldini explains: “We haven’t stopped for more than a month in a long time and we have to work a lot. Maserati Multi 70 is always evolving, especially when it comes to foils and flying rudders. Together with the Maserati Innovation Lab engineers we are developing a totally new next generation setup, with revolutionary rudders, foils and fins, we can’t wait to test them at sea! ».
