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Taking on Uncharted Waters Next Week for Inaugural Corfu Challenge

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©Pedro Martinez / Sailing Energy

The Maxi 72 Class has pulled out all the stops this year, showcasing a more competitive fleet of race yachts than ever before. Next week the teams will take on the new waters of the Ionian Sea for the the inaugural Corfu Challenge in Corfu, Greece, scheduled July 4-8. Bella Mente Racing will be one of the seven world-class yachts on the start line, and after a thrilling Caribbean Circuit followed by Palma Vela in Mallorca last month, the team is prepared for another on-the-water battle.

©Pedro Martinez / Sailing Energy

“You often hear race car drivers speak about the excitement of getting to race on a new track, and that’s exactly why we are looking forward to with this new Maxi 72 event in Corfu,” said Bella Mente Racing’s Mike Sanderson, adding that the other five events that make up Bella Mente’s 2017 race campaign are ones that the team, as well as a majority of the other Maxi 72s, have competed in before. “All the teams have extensive experience and play-books for our annual events in Palma de Mallorca (Spain) and Sardinia (Italy), but the opportunity to take these boats somewhere new, where none of us have raced Maxi 72s before, is very exciting. It will be a fantastic challenge to see who can tame the venue the fastest!”

Every year the Maxi 72 owners pull in top sailors to race onboard and continually invest in structural and design changes to give their respective yachts the competitive edge on the racecourse. Formerly known as the Mini Maxi Class, the Maxi 72 Class was established in 2014 with the goal of tightening up the rules and controlling the racing to make for more competition on the water. There are some box rules in place for a race boat to fit the Maxi 72 criteria, including length and draft of the boat as well as a maximum IRC rating limit; the class also has an owner/driver rule. However, there are still many places where each respective team can optimize the boats.

“All the teams are very close in boat speed and very well sailed so there is no clear advantage for anybody going into next week,” said Bella Mente Racing’s Owner/Driver Hap Fauth a three-time Maxi 72 World Champion who has been running his race campaign since 2006 and is currently racing with his third yacht under the Bella Mente namesake. His current Judel/Vrolijk designed Bella Mente was launched in 2012 and although it is the oldest yacht in the fleet of Maxi 72s actively racing it is one of the most competitive.

“There are pros and cons to having the older or newer Maxi 72 on the race course. When you have a new boat with a new hull design there may be some benefits regarding boat speed, however even with a top-tier professional crew, what you give up is experience when it comes to time spent sailing the yacht and learning its idiosyncrasies.”

New to the Maxi 72 fleet is Dario Ferrari’s Botin-designed Cannonball launched earlier this year, but the team has already proven to have a leg up in the competition, breaking a three-way tie between Bella Mente and Dieter Schön’s Momo to take the win at Palma Vela in May. The teams will go at it again in Corfu, joined by Sir Peter Ogden’s Jethou and George Sakellaris’ Proteus.

“The boats are incredibly close in terms of boat speed and you can tell by the ratings of each boat, which are within a couple clicks of each other; there are some races where the whole fleet finishes within 30 seconds of each other,” added Fauth.

“We’ve made a lot of adjustments and improvements over the last month and spent countless hours doing sea trials. It will be a battle, but we’ll be stepping into it with our best foot forward, ready to fight.”

The event marks the fourth event in the team’s 2017 racing campaign, which all culminates in September with the Rolex Maxi 72 World Championships in Sardinia (Italy).

Battle at Palma Vela Indicates Challenging Season for Maxi 72s

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Media Pro Int’l, Kirsten Ferguson, kirsten.ferguson@mediapronewport.com, 401-330-7889

Bella Mente going head-to-head with teams in the Maxi 72 Class at Palma Vela ©Pedro Martinez / Sailing Energy

It was a showdown for the ages this year at Palma Vela in Mallorca, with competitors in the Maxi 72 Class fighting tooth-and-nail to the very end.  After completing a full complement of six races over five days, Hap Fauth’s Bella Mente, along with Dieter Schon’s Momo and Dario Ferrari’s newCannonball shared the same nine-point score as well as the same number of first-, second- and third-place finishes. Per tiebreaker rules, the three-way tie was broken by order of finish in the event’s final race, which took place Sunday (May 7) over a coastal course of 28 nautical miles. Cannonball, which won the race, claimed overall victory, while Bella Mente, which finished second, took the podium in runner-up position.

Hap Fauth at the helm of his Maxi 72 Bella Mente at the 2017 Palma Vela ©Pedro Martinez / Sailing Energy

“If you’re out on the water watching these races you can see how tight the competition is, with the boats constantly trading positions and finishing within minutes and sometimes seconds of each other,” said Fauth, a three-time Rolex Maxi 72 World Champion whose team just completed its 2017 Caribbean racing circuit. “It just goes to show how the class lineup is as strong as ever right now. Our team moved ahead in many key areas during this regatta, and we know we’ll be faster through the water next time we sail. We’re keeping our eyes on the prize, which is winning the 2017 Rolex Maxi 72 World Championships in September. In order to achieve that we need to keep our heads down and our rate of improvement high.”

Maxi 72 Bella Mente at the 2017 Palma Vela ©Pedro Martinez / Sailing Energy

Fauth races with a team of 20 world-class sailors, including two-time Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Terry Hutchinson, two-time Olympian Adrian Stead and Volvo Ocean Race champion Mike Sanderson, all three of whom join him in the after guard.

“I think all three boats were quite even this week, and given that we hadn’t done any modifications to prepare for our Mediterranean circuit prior to the regatta, we feel very confident about our performance moving forward,” said Sanderson adding that the team finished racing in the Caribbean just two weeks before their first sail in Palma; although it was a push to get the crew and boat on the water, the opportunity to line up against the new boat Cannonball as well as Momo, which had some major performance updates done, was too good to pass up. “The week was tricky, with Palma turning on a wide variety of conditions and unbelievably tight racing in the Maxi 72 Class.

“Momo came out swinging on the first day, winning both races, so we knew we would have to up our game across the board. The next day, we won a race and Cannonball won a race, which really shuffled the deck and from there, it was game on. I think all three teams came away from this event having learned an awful lot; we are excited to see the developments to come for the rest of the 2017 season.”

The Maxi 72s competing in the 2017 Palma Vela ©Pedro Martinez / Sailing Energy

The Maxi 72s will all meet on the battlefield again in July for the inaugural Corfu Challenge in Greece followed by Copa del Rey MAPFRE in Mallorca, before taking the stage in Sardinia, Italy for the Rolex Maxi 72 World Championship.

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For more information, visit https://bellamenteracing.com/. Follow Bella Mente Racing on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

Sponsors for Bella Mente Racing include TSI, ESC, Tekran, DICKEY-john, Churchill Yachts, Worthington Aviation, Worthington Ag Parts and MSP.

Revving Up for a Challenging European Racing Circuit

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Bella Mente and Proteus go head to head on the racecourse at the 2017 Les Voiles de St. Barth. (Photo Credit: Christophe Jouany)

With a rigorous Caribbean circuit in the rearview mirror, Bella Mente Racing looks ahead to even more challenging battles on the horizon as the team prepares for its European racing tour, which kicks off next month with Palma Vela in Mallorca, Spain. The team’s namesake Maxi 72 is currently being transported across the Atlantic where it will be unloaded and prepped for the regatta.

“We had a very successful practice and race period in the Caribbean, which allowed the crew to get back on the same page with the same intensity,” said Bella Mente’s Owner/Driver Hap Fauth, adding that the team started the 2017 season on a high note, winning IRC Overall, CSA Overall and CSA 1 at the RORC Caribbean 600 in Antigua in February. However, it was a different story for Bella Mente Racing at Les Voiles de St. Barth in April, with the team finishing fourth overall in the Maxi 1 Class, five points behind winner Proteus, also a Maxi 72. “The outcome at Les Voiles de St. Barth was definitely self-inflicted, with Bella Mente being over the start early for one of the three races.”

At Les Voiles de St. Barth, there is no option for a premature starter to return to the line and restart; instead, a 10% penalty is added to the boat’s final time upon finishing the race. Bella Mente continued to sail a fantastic race, taking first place on corrected time, but due to the penalty fell to sixth, which ultimately hurt the team’s overall ranking.

Bella Mente racing at the 2017 Les Voiles de St. Barth. (Photo Credit: Christophe Jouany)

“These were the first two times we’ve been together in 2017, and I can’t think of a better environment to get our international team back together than in Antigua and St. Barth. I think it will make us that much stronger as we look ahead to what is shaping up to be an exciting European circuit,” added Fauth.

After wrapping up Palma Vela in May, the team will relocate to Greece in July for the inaugural Corfu Challenge – developed this year solely for the Maxi 72 Class.  Later that month, it’s back to Mallorca for Copa del Rey MAPFRE. The season culminates with the Rolex Maxi 72 World Championship in Porto Cervo, Italy in September. At this final and most significant event,  Fauth and his Bella Mente team will push for their fourth World Championship title.

Bella Mente and Proteus go head to head on the racecourse at the 2017 Les Voiles de St. Barth. (Photo Credit: Christophe Jouany)

“I know the team is looking forward to the job ahead and the opportunity to cross tacks with some of the best teams in the world,” said Tactician Terry Hutchinson, adding that Bella Mente will be seeing a lot more competition from the Maxi 72 Class in Europe. “We will be going head-to-head with Proteus again, and this will also be our first opportunity to see the new Botin-designed Cannonball and the revamped Momo. The anticipation is a bit nerve-racking, as we have great respect for these teams, and we know that we have a big task ahead to be successful.”

For more information, visit https://bellamenteracing.com/. Follow Bella Mente Racing on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

Sponsors for Bella Mente Racing include TSI, ESC, Tekran, DICKEY-john, Churchill Yachts,Worthington Aviation, Worthington Ag Parts and MSP.

 

Major Victory at RORC Caribbean 600 Kicks off 2017 Campaign

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Media Pro Int’l, Kirsten Ferguson, kirsten.ferguson@mediapronewport.com, 401-330-7889

Hap Fauth and his team on Maxi 72 Bella Mente competing in the 2017 RORC Caribbean 600. (Photo Credit: RORC/ELWJ Photography)

ANTIGUA, WEST INDIES (February 24, 2017) – Bella Mente Racing, led by owner/driver Hap Fauth, launched its 2017 campaign season with a major victory this week, winning IRC Overall, CSA Overall and CSA 1 at the RORC Caribbean 600 in Antigua; The team took home the coveted RORC Caribbean 600 Trophy for the IRC win as well as the Bella Mente Trophy, the team’s namesake award, for being the first IRC yacht to finish that is wholly manually powered. The 600-mile offshore race hosted a record number of competitors for its 2017 edition, with over 80 yachts hitting the waters off Antigua, but it was the battle between Bella Mente and rival Maxi 72 Proteus that took the spotlight. The yachts dueled up until the very end, with the lead switching hands on several occasions. After over two days at sea, Bella Mente ultimately prevailed, crossing the finish line on Wednesday, February 22 at 4:51 p.m. (AST), ahead of Proteus.

The Bella Mente Racing Team after winning IRC Overall at the 2017 RORC Caribbean 600 (left) and Owner/Driver Hap Fauth accepting the RORC Caribbean 600 Trophy (right). (Photo Credit Left: RORC/Ted Martin / Photo Credit Right: RORC/ELWJ Photography)

“This is such an important event for our campaign each year so it was just the best to be able to come back swinging,” said Fauth adding that this year’s RORC Caribbean 600 win was exceptionally sweet for the team, which came to the event last year hoping to defend its 2015 IRC Overall win, but were forced to retire halfway into racing due to keel troubles. “We’re looking forward to the rest of our 2017 season and ultimately the Rolex Maxi 72 World Championships in Sardinia. That is what the whole season is focused on from here.

“It was a very hard fought win. Over the course of the race, the team performed 85 sail changes and all but one were executed perfectly. The crew gave a 120 percent and we got a victory out of it – a crew and afterguard-driven victory.”

Maxi 72s Bella Mente and Proteus battling it out on the racecourse in the 2017 RORC Caribbean 600. (Photo Credit: RORC/ELWJ Photography)

The 600-mile race circumnavigates 11 Caribbean islands, starting its fleet off Fort Charlotte in Antigua and then taking it north up to Barbuda and around Nevis, St. Kitts, St. Eustatius, Saba, St. Barth and St. Martin before heading south for Guadeloupe. From there, the fleet returns to Barbuda and rounds Redonda before finishing back in Antigua.

“Our playbook was pretty extensive for this race with this being our fifth RORC Caribbean 600 racing Bella Mente, however it was based on the trade winds blowing as they normally do this time of year,” said the team’s offshore helmsman Mike Sanderson adding that though the RORC Caribbean 600 racecourse was the same as previous years, the fleet experienced a completely different wind direction, which changed the tactics and dynamic onboard. That, coupled with intense competition with Proteus, made for an extremely tough race. “This year the wind conditions did a 180 in comparison to previous years, which made for an entirely different race. For me, that was the best part of this year’s event. It’s always great to have a new challenge because it means we really have to do our homework to prepare for the race. When we got out there on the course, everything looked so different going around the track even though we were in familiar surroundings.”

Hap Fauth and his team on Maxi 72 Bella Mente racing in the 2017 RORC Caribbean 600. (Photo Credit: RORC/ELWJ Photography)

Tactician Terry Hutchinson added, “It was an absolute battle all the way through. Proteus got the better of us in the pre-start and on the first leg up to Barbuda, but we did a good job of keeping it close, and one rain shower later we were bow-to-stern with the Maxi 72. For the next 450 miles we were tied to the hip. Proteus held the lead through to La Désirade (off Guadeloupe), but when we started on the 90-mile leg back to Barbuda, Bella Mente’s upwind speed shined and we were able to slip around Proteus and extend.  From Barbuda to the finish we were constantly looking over our shoulder; our lead never felt big enough and we were preparing for one more parking lot with no breeze on the racecourse ahead. In true Bella Mente form, a couple of slick sail changes at the end of our 53 hours on the water got us across the finish line.”

When asked how he thought the team performed for their first event of the season, Hutchinson responded, “The team fared well, but we have a lot of work to do. The competition this season is very good, and so like in 2016 we need to apply a consistent process to our performance and development, and allow Bella Mente’s number one resource, our people, to perform.”

The Bella Mente Racing Team celebrates dockside in Antigua after their 2017 RORC Caribbean 600 win.(Photo Credit: RORC/ELWJ Photography)

Bella Mente will compete in one more event in the Caribbean, Les Voiles de. St. Barth in April, before the yacht is shipped across the Atlantic to race in Mallorca, Spain for the Palma Vela in May. The team will then relocate to Corfu, Greece for the inaugural Corfu Challenge in July and return to Mallorca for the Copa del Rey MAPFRE later that month. The season culminates with its final and most significant event, the Rolex Maxi 72 World Championship in Porto Cervo, Italy in September.

For more information, visit https://bellamenteracing.com/. Follow Bella Mente Racing on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

Sponsors for Bella Mente Racing include TSI, ESC, Tekran, DICKEY-john, Churchill Yachts,Worthington Aviation, Worthington Ag Parts and MSP.

Press Release: Full Steam Ahead in 2017

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Bella Mente Racing at the 2016 Rolex Maxi 72 World Championship (Photo Credit: ROLEX/Carlo Borlenghi)

Even though Bella Mente Racing has three Rolex Maxi 72 World Championship titles under its belt along with a slew of other accolades, that doesn’t mean it’s time to slow down. Quite the contrary, owner/driver Hap Fauth (Naples, Fla.) and his team of world-class sailors are shifting into overdrive as they prepare for another ambitious campaign this year. The competition isn’t letting up either, with more teams and new boats coming onto the already highly competitive Maxi 72 circuit this year.

Fauth steering Maxi 72 Bella Mente to a win at the 2016 Copa del Rey MAPFRE. (Photo Credit: Tomas Moya)

“We have our work cut out for us, as all of the teams in the lineup are ones to watch,” said Fauth, who has been running the Bella Mente Racing campaign since 2006. The third and current Bella Mente, a 72-foot custom Judel/Vrolijk yacht built by New England Boatworks, was launched in the spring of 2012. “The group of Maxi 72s competing has grown to a record six teams and includes the Botin 72 Cannonball, which is new to the scene this year. The competition in this class is so tight, and like a deck of cards we are shuffling positions on any given day on the racecourse. We’ve been on a winning stretch the last few years, but that is no reason to stop putting the pressure on.”

Developed by the International Maxi Association, the Maxi 72s were first known as Mini Maxi Racers. The first “Mini Maxi World Championship” (now known as the Rolex Maxi 72 World Championship) was raced in 2010.  The class gained so much traction that by 2014 the association felt it necessary to tighten up the rules and put more of an emphasis on owner/driver racing. These yachts, which all fit the 72-foot length requirement, are custom designed, developed and built to perform superbly on offshore races as well as on coastal and windward-leeward races. The class has a rating cap that narrows the performance differences between each yacht.

Bella Mente Racing at the 2016 Rolex Maxi 72 World Championship (Photo Credit: ROLEX/Carlo Borlenghi)

“The neat thing about the Maxi 72 Class is that it has really taken over where the America’s Cup was when it was raced in monohulls; these boats now represent the tip of the spear in the sport of sailing,” said Tactician Terry Hutchinson (Annapolis, Md.), adding that much of the technology for gear and systems developed onboard Bella Mente have trickled down into other areas of the sport. “These boats push the envelope structurally, and they push the envelope with rig and sail development.

“If you’re a leader in your industry and you want to apply the same creativity and leadership to a sport, this is the place to do it,” added Hutchinson. “When you look at the owners that we have in the Maxi 72 Class, they fit that mold to a T.”

Fauth steering Maxi 72 Bella Mente to a win at the 2016 Copa del Rey MAPFRE. (Photo Credit: Tomas Moya)

Fauth’s success on the water parallels his success in the boardroom. The business entrepreneur founded Minneapolis-based investment firm The Churchill Companies and runs a number of businesses that span many industries – from agriculture to aerospace. He uses the same practices with both his team in the office and on Bella Mente.

For the past three years, Fauth has brought the sailing team together for a week of sea trials in Florida before each campaign. There, the sailors and shore crew collaborate, putting new ideas to the test to see what works and what doesn’t.  Time together, along with rigorous practice sessions before each event, has helped the team gain an edge on the competition.

“Hap has afforded us the opportunity to really forge a united team,” added Hutchinson. “The challenge in my mind for 2017 is that there are teams with newer boats that are mimicking our preparation, so you have to think that Bella Mente will be coming up against stiffer competition. One of our challenges when we get smacked around a little bit on the racecourse is how do we respond as a team. Our goal is to keep an eye on the big picture.”

2017 Campaign Schedule
Bella Mente Racing kicks off its season next month in Antigua with the RORC Caribbean 600 followed by Les Voiles de St. Barth in April in St. Barthelemy. From there, Bella Mentewill head across the Atlantic to race in Mallorca, Spain for the Palma Vela in May before heading to Corfu, Greece for the inaugural Corfu Challenge in July. The team will then return to Mallorca for the Copa del Rey MAPFRE later that month. The season culminates with its final and most significant event, the Rolex Maxi 72 World Championship in Porto Cervo, Italy in September.

For more information, visit https://bellamenteracing.com/. Follow Bella Mente Racing onFacebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

Sponsors for Bella Mente Racing include TSI, ESC, Tekran, DICKEY-john, Churchill Yachts,Worthington Aviation, Worthington Ag Parts and MSP.

New Year, New Goals

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After wrapping up a highly successful 2015 campaign, Bella Mente Racing is at it again, diving into the New Year with an even more ambitious race program ahead. Led by owner/driver Hap Fauth, the team of 27 sailors will take on seven high-profile regattas in the U.S., the Caribbean and Europe aboard its Maxi 72 namesake.

Bella Mente at the 2015 Quantum Key West Race Week, where the team won its class. (Photo Credit: Sharon Green)

Bella Mente at the 2015 Quantum Key West Race Week, where the team won its class. (Photo Credit: Sharon Green)

“Our team is great, which is the reason we achieved our goals last year,” said Fauth adding that in 2015 the team won not only the Rolex Maxi 72 World Championship, but also their class at the RORC Caribbean 600, Quantum Key West Race Week, the Royal Yacht Squadron Bicentenary International Regatta and Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week. “We are going to have even tougher competition on the racecourse this year, because we are competing in events that are part of the Maxi 72 Class Circuit for 2016, and the class is stacked with very good teams.”

Bella Mente Racing kicks off its 2016 program with Quantum Key West Race Week (January 18-22). The team will then head to the Caribbean for the RORC Caribbean 600 in February and Les Voiles de St. Barth in April. From there, the boat will be shipped to New England for the month of June, where the team will compete in the NYYC Annual Regatta presented by Rolex and the Newport Bermuda Race. After that, the team will head across the Atlantic to Spain for the Copa del Rey MAPFRE in August followed by the Rolex Maxi 72 World Championship in Sardinia in September.

“You are either going forward or going backward, so we are consistently fine tuning Bella Mente to make sure she is progressing with a competitive edge,” said Fauth, adding the Bella Mente Racing’s shore team keeps the Maxi 72 in fighting shape. “To simply get out on the water is difficult; we have to be fully operative or we’re not leaving the dock.”

Then there is the matter of the on-water sailing team, which is comprised of world-class sailors from around the world. “We are always trying to upgrade in every position. Once our team is together for the season, we tell the grinders, trimmers, etc. – even if they’ve been doing what they do for a very long time – that we have to get a little better,” added Fauth. “Each of them has to get better at their respective discipline.”

The team aspect of Bella Mente Racing is what keeps Fauth energized and excited about what he is doing, especially forward- thinking to what might boost race-winning potential in the 2016 racing season. “Our nickname amongst competitors is ‘Experimente,’” laughed Fauth. “We are halfway through the alphabet in sails, but it’s the only way, after wind tunnels and VPP tests, that you can continue to work theory into practice. Sail shape changes are very subtle now, but that’s what you do to get to optimal boat speed.”

Tactician Terry Hutchinson added, “I would expect that Bella Mente’s 2016 season will be defined by our ability to continue to develop consistent teamwork on and off the water.  Last year is a distant memory. Now it is about refining what we have learned, improving, and putting our best foot forward at every turn.”

More about Bella Mente Racing
The original Bella Mente Racing campaign kicked off in 2006 with Key West Race Week, and since then owner and skipper Hap Fauth has had two additional racing yachts in the program. Launched in Spring 2012, the current Bella Mente is a 72-foot Mini Maxi designed by judel/vrolijk yacht design and built by New England Boatworks.

For more information, visit https://bellamenteracing.com/. Follow Bella Mente Racing onFacebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

Sponsors for Bella Mente Racing include TSI, ESC, Tekran, DICKEY-john, Churchill Yachts,Worthington Aviation, Worthington Ag Parts and New England Boatworks.

About Bella Mente

The original Bella Mente Racing campaign kicked off in 2006 with Key West Race Week, and since then owner and skipper Hap Fauth has had three additional racing yachts in the program.

Launched in September of 2018, the current Bella Mente is a Maxi 72 designed by Botin Partners in Spain and built by New England Boatworks in Rhode Island.

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