News

The second edition of the Gazprom Swan 60 World Championship running this year in conjunction with Copa del Rey MAPFRE has caught the attention of the racing elite. Annually this developing class inspires sophisticated yachting stars to line up for competition.

Vertical Smile, the Danish entry has taken a different tack to the majority of the Gazprom Swan 60 entries this year, opting to base the team from the Mediterranean earlier in the season. Owner, Peter Lerbrandt started success early in the sailing year with a first place at Coppa Carlo Negri in IRC Group 0. Counting two first places and a second at their 2014 opener regatta, this European team is clearly a podium pleaser on Mediterranean waters. Having raced as crew since 2011, Peter Lebrandt’s team have experience on their side, competing in the Rolex Swan Cup, Rolex Volcano Race and Giraglia Rolex Cup.

Hot on the Danish team’s heels however, will be Swan 60 Petite Flamme (RUS). Andy Beadsworth (GBR) joined the team for the Rolex Fastnet Race last year and returns this year re-focused for inshore racing. A World Youth Champion at only 18 years of age and Olympic representative in the Soling class, Andy will provide competitive punch at Palma.

The 2013 winners of the inaugural Gazprom Swan 60 World Championship, Bronenosec, will be returning this year aspiring to triumph their second World Championship. Already having won Copa del Rey MAPFRE twice previously, Tommaso Chieffi (ITA) now holding 22 World Championship titles, is a force to be reckoned with. After co-skippering Team Russia to a hat trick win in this year’s Nord Stream race, Tommaso will sit in the tactician’s seat during Palma. Tommaso will receive support from America’s Cup sailor, Marc Lagesse (ZA) as navigator and Enrico Zennaro (ITA) a Mumm 30 World Champion. This Russian entry will be treading old ground having competed in the Mediterranean during 2012 including activity in Palma Bay. This kind of experience on familiar waters could be the deciding factor to win at this regatta.

Fellow Italian, Lorenzo Bortelotti, could steal the glory at this year’s World Championship for the Chinese contingent following his outstanding second place at the Nord Stream Race. This was the first race this Chinese owned Swan 60 has ever entered and therefore was initiation by fire during June. An America’s Cup veteran Lorenzo will continue to develop Swan 60 Windward into a winning machine.

The Gazprom Russian Youth Team in preparations to embark on their inaugural Gazprom Swan 60 World Championship onboard Swan 60 Tsaar Peter could also cause a stir on the scoreboard. Team mentor, Sergey Borodinov (RUS), a Whitbread Round the World Race and Olympic Games veteran will lead the youths into competition. An impressive crew of youth sailors boasting some excellent experience, Igor Lisovenko (RUS), who has represented his country twice already at the Olympic Games and sits in 5th overall as the youngest competitor at the Extreme Sailing Series this year joins the team in Palma. Igor will also have the support of Victor Serezhkin and Alexander Bozhko (RUS) who both have extensive experience racing on the RC44 circuit onboard Gazprom Youth Sailing Challenge, taking 4th place in their last event. The next generation of talent have already proven themselves racing through the night in the Baltic and the shorter course style of day racing will perhaps suit the youths better.

Please find a full list of entries for the Gazprom Swan 60 World Championship below:

Windward – Mr Fan, CHN
Vertical Smile – Peter, DEN
SGM – Norddeutscher Regatta Verein, GER
Tsaar Peter – Gazprom Russian Youth Team, RUS
Petite Flamme – Dimitry Samokin, RUS
Bronenosec – Vladimir Liubomirov, RUS
Spirit of Europe – Alpenberg SA, IVB