Bella Mente’s 2013 Grande Finale – The Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship

Bella Mente Racing will round out its ambitious 2013 campaign in style next week (September 2-7), defending its title as the 2012 Mini Maxi Rolex World Champion during the 24^th edition of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in Porto Cervo, Italy.

Led by owner/driver Hap Fauth, the 72′ Judel/Vrolijk designed Bella Mente will race with 22 sailors, including newly added tactician, Terry Hutchinson, an America’s Cup Veteran, fresh off competing in the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds in Newport, R.I.

The team will race against a fleet of 13 highly competitive yachts, also fitting the Mini Maxi criteria, including Andres Soriano’s new Mills 72 Alegre, which bested Bella Mente in the Rolex Giraglia Cup back in June and won the 32th Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre Sailing Cup this August. Other fierce contenders include Niklas Zennstrom’s Rán 2, (2010 and 2011 Mini Maxi Rolex World Champion), Alexander Schaerer’s Caol Ila R (2013 Rolex Volcano Race winner), Alessandro Rombelli’s Stig, and George Sakellaris’ Shockwave.

Bella Mente Racing will be updating Facebook and Twitter daily, but readers can get full race reports and updates at http://regattanews.com/gallery.aspx?eid=294&year=2013&clid=0&ctid=100