The rumor that has been smoldering for a long time has now been confirmed: The two-time America's Cup winner Jimmy Spithill is celebrating his comeback in the Italian team LunRossChallenge. Racing team owner and Prada patriarch Patrizio Bertelli has brought back the Australian who was already in his service, underscoring his ambitions to finally win the most coveted trophy in international sailing for the first time for Italy.
At the destination of his dreams: James "Jimmy" Spithill can fight again for the cup of his desire under the Italian flag in 2021
16 years ago, Spithill was the youngest helmsman in history to celebrate an America's Cup premiere with the Australian team Young Australia and has long been one of the most successful and charismatic people in the business. Famous and notorious for his aggressiveness, his strong nerves and his psychological provocations of opponents, the now 40-year-old made global headlines especially in 2013 when he was 8-1 with the Oracle Team US in the Cup final against the Emirates Team New Zealand behind, but turned it into a 9-8 triumph for the Americans.
Humiliation in front of the camera: After Spithill and the Oracle Team US presented the New Zealanders with the "Comeback Victory of the Century" in the 2013 Cup final, the New Zealand helmsman Peter Burling visibly enjoyed the dominance of the Emirates Team New Zealand over the Americans in 2017 treats himself to a little fun with Jimmy Spithill
It was the Italian Luna Rossa skipper Francesco de Angelis who brought Spithill to the Italian warehouse for the America's Cup 2007. The Azzurri had sailed all the way to the finals of the Louis Vuitton challenger series and on the way had defeated Larry Ellison's team Oracle BMW Racing 5-1 in the semifinals. The LunRossChallenge only had to admit defeat to the New Zealanders in the challenger final. As a result, Larry Ellison brought Jimmy Spithill, who had meanwhile earned the nicknames "Pitbull" and "Spitfire", into his American team and won the exclusive duel against Alinghi and the San Francisco edition with him in 2010. So now the furious Spithill is back to business under the Italian flag.
The hope of Luna Rossa boss Patrizio Bertelli: with Spithill and futuristic monohull foilers finally the first Italian victory in America's Cup history?
He only has one goal, as he revealed to the YACHT in a recent interview: "At the moment I'm still hungry for the America's Cup. I have the feeling that I can't sleep properly until I try again for one to work another America's Cup win. That's still all I think about. For me, the goal is to win another America's Cup! " Perhaps Spithill's ability and will in combination with Patrizio Bertelli's unsatisfied cup hunger at the 36th edition in 2021 in front of New Zealand with LunRoss (German: Red Moon) will ultimately be the first Azzurri victory in cup history.
In 2013 it was not enough for LunRoss to make it to the cup final before San Francisco. In 2017, the Italians - furious about last-minute rule changes by the Americans - suspended a cup edition. Now they are back - they want the cup more than ever