Wally Yachts and the Financial Times have joined forces to launch a new Maxi Yacht racing series. The FT Wally Grand Prix Series is a unique series of races for the world’s largest fleet of Maxi racing yachts.
The racing teams feature sailing’s premier talent from the America’s Cup and the Olympics together with some of the most prominent captains of industry. The series takes place between April and October, moving between the Mediterranean’s most glamorous and vibrant sailing locations.
Wally Yachts and Financial Times launch Maxi Yacht Grand Prix Series 2011 - Photo Credit Juerg Kaufmann www.go4image.com
Luca Bassani, Wally founder and President said, ‘Wally DNA is based upon a passion for performance, for design and for the sea. Competition is what drives our research, development and innovation. It is the lifeblood of any sport and it is at the very heart of Wally.’
He continued, ‘The inaugural FT Wally Grand Prix Series will feature some of the sport’s highest profile ambassadors, such as legendary America’s Cup sailors Loïck Peyron and Francesco de Angelis. We are all looking forward to a gripping racing season as well as to a series that will grow in scale and stature over the coming years.’
FT Weekend Editor Caroline Daniel, said, ‘We are delighted to partner with Wally on the FT Wally Grand Prix Series. Maxi yacht racing engages our readers at numerous levels, be it the competition, innovation and excitement of the boats and the races or equally to understand what drives the global business leaders who participate in the sport. Maxi yacht racing is the only arena in which top businessmen and top sportsmen compete side by side, so the series is a natural fit for FT Weekend.’
Race calendar:
April 20-24 Palma de Mallorca, Spain PalmaVela
May 6-8 Portofino , Italy Nespresso Cup
June 7-11 Porto Cervo, Italy Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta
September 2-10 Porto Cervo, Italy Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup
September 27-October 1 St Tropez Voiles de St Tropez
About Wally
Wally was founded by Luca Bassani in 1994. It has designed and built some of the most successful, advanced and visually striking boats of all time. Through a program of rigorous research and development Wally has introduced many breakthroughs in performance and style, and has become renowned for the quality, usability and comfort of its sail and power boats. This year, Wally will launch a number of new products including the WallyOne performance day boat and the WallyAce displacement motor yacht.
About Maxi Yachts
The term Maxi Yacht refers to racing sailboats of at least 70 feet (21 metres), although the latest boats are significantly bigger than this. The WallyClass is a competitive association of owners who race the world’s largest fleet of Maxi racing yachts against each under IRC handicap rules.
