Bella Mente Racing left a successful U.S. and Caribbean racing circuit in its wake earlier this year and looks forward to more exciting challenges ahead this summer, with the team competing in four of Europe’s most premier events. All the action kicked off today (Monday, July 27) in Cowes, UK for the Royal Yacht Squadron Bicentenary International Regatta, where the team, lead by owner/driver Hap Fauth, is racing its Maxi 72 namesake in IRC, sailing under the New York Yacht Club burgee. The team has spent the last few days practicing for the regatta, which runs through Friday, July 31.

“We had a great run earlier this year in Florida and the Caribbean,” said Fauth adding that the team won its class at Quantum Key West Race Week, took first-place overall at the RORC Caribbean 600 and even made an impressive comeback at Les Voiles de. St. Barth, moving up to second place overall after suffering a DNS earlier in the event. “We have a solid and very competitive team this year. The next four events attract the best of the best and we are up for the challenge. Bring it on!”

Bella Mente Racing has upped its game even more since earlier this year, with a number of updates to the boat; the most notable being the installation of a new and longer keel to help improve its performance.

“We won’t really know how we match up until we get out there on the water, but I can tell you right now that Bella Mente is a better boat than it was when we kicked off this year’s campaign in Key West,” said Tactician Terry Hutchinson. “The goal is to always make her as fast as we possibly can upwind, to get us to the top mark in good fashion. From there, it’s about putting our elbows out to keep the fleet behind us downwind. Right now, we’re one tick lower than the rating cap, which is good.”

After the Royal Yacht Squadron Bicentenary International Regatta, the team will begin preparing for Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week, scheduled for August 11-15. From there Bella Mente Racing will quickly switch into ocean-racing gear for the legendary 603-mile Rolex Fastnet Race on August 16, before concluding its 2015 campaign in Sardinia with Bella Mente’s pinnacle event each year, the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, September 6-12.