USA roster for AC Preliminary Regatta

The ARC Team USA has confirmed the four sailors who will race aboard its AC40 at the 38th America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta on September 24-27, 2026 in Naples, Italy. This is the second training event but the new American challenger will be racing its rivals for the first time.

Lucas Calabrese and Harry Melges IV will take the helm, with Hans Henken and Michael Menninger completing the four-person crew. Riley Gibbs will serve as team reserve. The line-up follows a final tryout session in Naples prior to the 9-boat competition.

“Getting to the regatta start line is a big moment for us,” said Ken Read, ARC Team USA CEO. “What this entire team has achieved in such a short space of time has been pretty extraordinary, and we’ve just come off a really strong training camp where the progress has been clear every day.

“Every sailor in this group has pushed hard and earned the opportunity to represent ARC Team USA. Lucas, Harry, Hans and Michael have earned their places on the boat for Naples, and Riley has been every bit as important to the progress we’ve made as a group.

“We also have to be realistic about where we are. Some of the teams we’re racing have been together for years; we’ve been together for months. We’re not going to Naples expecting to have all the answers. We’re going there to race hard, learn quickly, understand where we stand against the fleet and come away better than we arrived.”

ARC Team USA Sailing Director Giles Scott adds, “It’s been a very productive camp. We’ve asked a huge amount of this group in a short period of time and they’ve responded brilliantly. The standard and intensity have continued to rise, and the competition for these places has been exactly what we wanted. Now we get to put ourselves under proper race pressure. That’s where we’ll learn the most.”

Teams are allowed to enter two boats, but the second boat must be crewed by youth and women.

Event details: https://www.americascup.com/naples

Naples entrants:
• Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL): Nathan Outteridge/Seb Menzies (helm), Andy Maloney/Iain Jensen (trim)
• Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL): Jake Pye/Erica Dawson (helm), Serena Woodall/Josh Armit (trim)
• Athena Racing (GBR): Dylan Fletcher/Ben Cornish (helm), Bleddyn Mon/Andrea Tesei (trim)
• Athena Racing (GBR): Hannah Mills/Ellie Aldridge (helm), Sam Webb/Matt Beck (trim)
• Luna Rossa (ITA): Peter Burling/Marco Gradoni (helm), Gianluigi ‘Gigi’ Ugolini/Maria Giubilei (trim)
• Luna Rossa (ITA): Margherita Porro/Max Antoniazzi (helm), Maria Vittorria Marchesini/Giovanni Santi (trim)
• Tudor Team Alinghi (SUI): Paul Goodison/Phil Robertson (helm), Nicolas Rolaz/Pietro Sibello (trim)
• La Roche-Posay Racing Team (FRA): Quentin Delapierre/Diego Botín (helm), Jason Saunders/Florian Trittel (trim)
• American Racing Challenger Team USA (USA): Lucas Calabrese/Harry Melges IV (helm), Hans Henken/Michael Menninger (trim)

Details: https://www.americascup.com/

Defender New Zealand and Challenger of Record from Great Britain confirmed the Protocol for the 38th America’s Cup on August 12, 2025. The close of the initial entry period was October 31, 2025, with late entries considered up to March 31, 2026.

The AC40 has a helm and trimmer on each side of the boat, while the AC75 does too in addition to a fifth crew position and a sixth passenger position.

38th America’s Cup entrants:
• Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) – Defender
• Athena Racing (GBR) – Challenger of Record
• Luna Rossa (ITA) – Challenger
• Tudor Team Alinghi (SUI) – Challenger
• La Roche-Posay Racing Team (FRA) – Challenger
• American Racing Challenger Team USA (USA) – Challenger
• Team Australia (AUS) – Challenger

After the 2024 event, Barcelona, Spain declined hosting another edition, with the venue moved to Naples, Italy. Challenger racing is May 22 to July 4 before the 38th Match on July 10-19. Full details.

Preliminary Regattas:*
May 22-24, 2026 – Cagliari, Italy
September 24-27 – Naples, Italy

* The Protocol noted how there would be as many Preliminary Regattas as possible, with the intent to have three during 2026 and one possibly in early 2027, and a final event at the Match Venue immediately prior to the challenger series. Only two have been thus far revealed.

Source: ARC Team USA