Luna Rossa withdraws
New Cup class causes the longest running Challenger to carry out its threat and withdraw its challenge for the 35th America’s Cup
Patrizio Bertelli’s Italian America’s Cup team Luna Rossa has withdrawn from the 35th America’s Cup. The team raised concerns over the new class of boat that was suggested last week threatening that it would withdraw from the event if the new boat was selected.
With the announcement of the new AC48 following the majority vote by the Challengers there was silence from Luna Rossa, initially. Now the team has withdrawn it’s challenge.
The team’s departure marks the end of an 18 year participation in which it mounted four Cup campaigns.
Luna Rossa statement:
TEAM LUNA ROSSA CHALLENGE ANNOUNCES ITS WITHDRAWAL FROM THE 35th AMERICA’S CUP
The result of the vote proposed by the Event Authority with the agreement of the Defender of the 35th America’s Cup has overturned, with a majority vote, the America’s Cup Class Rule for the boat with which this edition will be held; this happened notwithstanding the fact that such rule had been previously adopted unanimously by the teams and was in force since June 2014.
Following a careful evaluation of the serious implications of this unprecedented initiative, Team Luna Rossa confirms that it will withdraw from the 35th America’s Cup.
Team Luna Rossa indeed considers illegitimate the procedure adopted and founded on an evident abuse of process by surreptitious use of procedures to modify the Protocol in order to overturn the Class Rule, which instead requires the unanimity of the teams entered.
This is an attempt to introduce boats that are substantially monotypes and in total contrast with the ultra-centennial tradition of the America’s Cup, not to mention a two-month extension period to introduce further modifications to the rules, decided by the …read more
