Epic battle for TP52 World Championship

A record sized fleet for the 2026 TP52 World Championship will vie for the title on June 16-20 in Porto Cervo, Sardinia. With 15 boats from 11 nations, more than half will start the 10-race series with a realistic hope of becoming champion.

Without 2025 winner and 8-time titlist Quantum Racing, the level is so both high and even.

“Banking the thirds, fourths, fifths and sixths is going to be so important in a fleet of this size now,” noted Simon Fry, Gladiator trimmer and 2024 world champion. “You cannot, cannot, drop a 12th or a 13th on your scorecard. Realistically there are only three or four boats you would discount from an overall win.”

The last time the Rolex TP52 World Championship was hosted by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda was in 2014 when Ed Baird steered Quantum Racing to a narrow, two points victory ahead of the home club’s Azzurra. There will be another winner in 2026.

The weather is expected to be a mix of strong Mistral, very light winds, and some sea breeze, suggesting the regatta will prove a real test of speed and skills across the wind range.

Three competing teams have won the world title before, Takashi Okura’s Sled in 2021 in Palma, Tony Langley’s British boat Gladiator in Newport, RI in 2024, and Harm Müller-Spreer’s German flagged Platoon Aviation, winners in 2017 in Scarlino, Italy, in 2019 in Puerto Portals, Mallorca, and in 2023 in Barcelona.

All three past world champions have every chance of winning this year. Sled will be pitching to win their third regatta in a row, in fact, after winning the last event of 2025 on these same beautiful waters off the north east of Sardinia, and most recently opening their season with victory in Puerto Portals last month.

“It will be a great event because the 52 SUPER SERIES has never been so healthy and so there are a lot of high expectations through the fleet,” observes Sled’s Sardinia based tactician Francesco Bruni, “Things are going well on our team but you can be last in any race. We need to keep focused all the way through.

“We know there will be bad moments coming for sure, you have to deal with them, we have to be tight as team. With more boats the risk management is a key factor and we have a great team around us, and so it is not just down to me. I get great input and a lot of support and that makes a big difference. You work less with a lot less pressure and can trust your instincts a lot more.”

Olympic gold medalist Jordi Calafat, strategist on Platoon Aviation, is pleased with the team’s progress, finishing runners up last month behind Sled. He believes they can win in Porto Cervo but are still working hard to get the very best from their boat.

“We don’t have the fastest boat out there so we still have a little bit of work to do. There are boats out there with an edge on us. If we want to win races and regattas we still have to improve here and there.

“I hope we can just get to the last day with chances to win, at least we feel good now and there are conditions where we are fast. And now with more boats you start well and sail well that gives you chances. I think we are managing to get our speed back.”

Like Calafat, Gladiator’s Fry is low key, objective, not over-promising. They return to the set up with which they won in the USA, with Guille Parada steering. But as owner Tony Langley was sidelined in Puerto Portals by injury, he and Victor Diaz de Leon – 2025 world champion with American Magic Quantum Racing – have not yet had as much race time to fine tune their communications and decision making processes.

“We have to find our feet as Victor and Tony have not really sailed together in the roles they are doing,” said Fry. “I genuinely think the level is so impressive.”

Pieter Heerema and his No Way Back team have every chance of winning too. With a crew consisting of 75% former American Magic/Quantum Racing, they have a roster of world champions on board. They finished third in Puerto Portals and welcome the return of 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Lucas Calabrese as strategist.

But for sure, the leading contenders should include Andrea Lacorte’s Italian Alkedo Vitamina which is widely recognized as one of the quickest boats on the race course. They were the only team to win two races in Mallorca last month.

Ergin Imre’s Provezza topped the interim leaderboard in Portals with Cole Parada and Santi Lange combining as a potent afterguard. Also, past world champion John Kostecki could prove to be the missing piece of the jigsaw on Andy Soriano’s Alegre.

Putting a toe in the water, racing in the 52 SUPER SERIES for the first time, will be the Italian flagged, Scarlino-based Vudu of owner-driver Mauro Gestri. Launched as Azzurra in 2015, the boat is quick and well sorted having just finished second at the 2026 ORC World Championship. Gestri is ambitious and has a team to match led by tactician Michele Regolo.

“We have trained a lot out of Scarlino and did the ORC Worlds, an interesting event with a very hot fleet,” shared downwind trimmer Giovanni Sanfelice. “We are looking to enjoy Porto Cervo with a view to moving in the right direction in the future.

“Our owner is still relatively new; this is our second season together and his second season ever racing. So right now we are looking to learn as much as we can. Step by step, we are learning together.”

Details: https://www.52superseries.com/event/porto-cervo/#schedule

Entry list:
1. Alegre (GBR), Andy Soriano
2. Alkedo (ITA), Andrea Lacorte
3. Alpha + (HKG), Shawn & Tina Kang
4. Caballo Loco (BRA), Mauro Dottori & Fabio Cotrim
5. Crioula (BRA), Eduardo & Renato Plass
6. Gladiator (GBR), Tony Langley
7. Paprec (FRA), Jean-Luc Petithuguenin
8. Platoon Aviation (GER), Harm Müller-Spreer
9. Provezza (TUR), Ergin Imre
10. No Way Back (NED), Pieter Heerema
11. Sled, Takashi Okura
12. Teasing Machine (FRA), Eric de Turckheim
13. Trinity (SWE), Joakim Sundberg
14. Vayu (THA), Whitcraft Family
15. Vudu (ITA), Mauro Gestri

Source: 52 SUPER SERIES