Maserati and Giovanni Soldini have set a new record in the Cape2Rio, the longest race between two southern hemisphere continents. They covered the 3,300-mile route from Cape Town (South Africa) to Rio de Janeiro (Brasil) in a blistering 10 days, 11 hours, 29 minutes and 57 seconds, slashing more than two days off the previous record held by American 72’ Zephyrus IV (12 days, 16 hours, 49 minutes).

The crew of the Italian boat crossed the finish-line on the night of January 14th at 23.29 GMT (21.29 local time), taking both line and handicap honours in the process.

Soldini is flanked by a nine-man international crew: Italians Guido Broggi, Corrado Rossignoli and Michele Sighel; German Boris Herrmann; Spaniard Carlos Hernandez; French sailors Vincent and Gwen Riou; Dane Martin Kirketerp Ibsen; and, for the first time, Pierre Casiraghi of Monaco.

Maserati cast off from Cape Town at 12.00 GMT on January 4th with a fleet of 34 other yachts of various sizes. The Italian boat was the only 70’ taking part this year. A ferocious storm sorely tested the fleet on the first night, lashing it with winds of up to 60 knots. Many yachts were forced to pull out and a tragic accident aboard the Angolan Bavaria 55 Bille resulted in the death of a crew member, 47 year old João Bartolomeu. Details of the circumstances have not yet been released by the organisers.

“The Cape2Rio is a race I’ve been dreaming about doing since I was a kid,” Soldini declared on arrival at Rio. “The right opportunity presented itself this year because in November Maserati was in China for several events there and we had to get her back to New York for our second attempt at the Atlantic record. The start was very tough because of a cold front associated with a deep depression. We started off very cautiously, deliberately under-sailed, and we didn’t push hard at all for the first two days. Unfortunately, there was a horrible accident that really left its mark on the whole race. The minute the wind dropped we hit the accelerator, heading north to skirt the high-pressure area. That put an extra 600 miles on our route but it was worth it. We managed to keep a consistently good gradient, good speed and good wind. Maserati was really at her best and we’re all very happy. Our return to Brazil closes a circle for us, one begun a year ago when we left New York to break the New York-San Francisco record. Maserati has sailed around the world and she’ll soon be ready to get going again too.”

After the prize-giving Maserati will be going to a yard in St. Petersburg, Florida, for some maintenance work in preparation for her new attempt on the West-East Atlantic record (New York to Lizard Point).

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE Cape2Rio

Now on its 14th outing, the Cape2Rio Yacht Race was launched in 1971 in the wake of South African sailor Bruce Dalling’s impressive second place overall and first place in adjusted time finish in the 1968 South Atlantic Single-handed Yacht Race. Dalling became a national hero in an instant and ocean sailing quickly gained huge popularity amongst sailors and enthusiasts in South Africa.

The first Cape2Rio attracted 59 boats and was won by Robin Knox-Johnston and Ocean Spirit in a time of 23 days and 42 minutes. Pen Duick III, skippered by Eric Tabarly, finished in fourth position.

The third edition in 1976 saw a massive 126 boats from 19 different nations lined out at the start. These included two from Italy: Carlo di Mottola Balestra’s Chica Tica II, which won in adjusted time, and Giorgio Falck’s Guia III. Italian yachtswoman Ida Castiglioni, who had crewed aboard Edo Guzzetti’s Namar IV in the 1973 edition, also raced aboard Kialoa with an all-woman crew.

In 1979, the finish line was moved to Punta del Este in Uruguay, 4,500 miles from Cape Town. However, in 1993, it returned to Rio once again. The race’s name changed to the Cape to Bahia in 2006 to reflect its new finish line at Salvador de Bahia, before being reinstated as the Cape2Rio once again in 2011.

Videos and images can be found at www.maserati.soldini.it and on the following social networks: Facebook (Giovanni Soldini Pagina Ufficiale, over 30,000 friends) and Twitter@giovannisoldini (over 122,000 followers).

The challenge is sponsored by main partner, Maserati, after which the yacht is named, and by co-sponsors Swiss bank BSI (Generali Group) and Generali.

MASERATI

Maserati's support and participation in this important Italian sporting and technological challenge underscores the company’s role as a world ambassador for Italian excellence. Maserati continues that renowned tradition of excellence each and every day in 65 countries worldwide, through hugely successful luxury cars such as the Quattroporte, GranTurismo, GranCabrio and brand-new Ghibli, whose performance on the road mirrors the achievements of Giovanni Soldini and Maserati on the water.

BSI Bank

With around € 72.5 billion of asset management and 140 years of history, BSI is one of the oldest and most important banks in Switzerland. Established in Lugano in 1873, BSI is specialised in private wealth management. Since 1998, the Bank has been wholly owned by the Generali Group, one of the most significant participants in the global insurance and financial products market. The Bank places great emphasis on establishing and maintaining ongoing personal relationships with clients, while at the same time offering global asset management services with world-class products. BSI is present in the major financial markets worldwide; Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia.

Generali

The Generali Group is one of Europe’s largest insurance providers and its largest life assurer, with a total premium income in 2012 of €70 billion. With 80,000 employees worldwide and 65 million clients in more than 60 countries, the Group occupies a leadership position in Western European markets and is also playing an increasingly important role in Central and Eastern Europe and Asia.

The official suppliers to the challenge are Zegna Sport (clothing), Vodafone Italia (telecommunication services and official website development) and Boero Bartolomeo S.p.A. (speciaist hull paints and enamels).

Ermenegildo Zegna

The Ermenegildo Zegna Group is a leading luxury menswear brand and one of the most renowned businesses in Italy. Founded in 1910, the company is currently managed by the fourth generation of the Zegna family, with over 540 branded stores in more than 100 countries around the world.?The Zegna Sport collection was launched in 1999 as a line of clothing in which functionality, style and advanced technology are the basic ingredients for a high-performance wardrobe. Initially created for sports activities, the contemporary evolution of the collection delivers a total look that is perfect for today’s metropolitan lifestyle.

Vodafone Italia

Vodafone Italia is part of the Vodafone Group, one of the world's leading mobile communications groups, serving over 404 million clients. The Vodafone Group has a direct presence in more than 30 countries as well as network partnership deals in a further 50. In Italy, Vodafone boasts around 7,500 employees, 8 Competence Centers and in excess of 7,000 stores.

Also aboard with Maserati are:

Eataly (provisions),

Beta Utensili (all professional tools),

Corderia Lancelin (specialist lines and cables),

Jeppesen (cartography),

B&G Navico (technical assistance with on-board instrumentation),

Cantiere Picchiotti of La Spezia (Maserati’s home base ashore)

and the La Spezia Port Authority (Maserati’s home port afloat).

Text and photos courtesy of Maserati.