A great Italian Open Soling Championship took place in Riva del Garda in the week end. 12 boats from 3 countries competed in a strong wind from 14 to 26 knots on Friday and Saturady. The last race was sailed Sunday morning in a dying northerly (Peler) from 10 to 5 knots. Roman Koch`s team completed his sweep with 5 first and a second in 6 races (only beaten by the Maffezzoli brothers in the fourth race) and won the Garda Soling Cup in splendid fashion with an extra speed in the big breeze.
ITA 251 by Michele Tognozzi, Fabio Piccioni e Giuliano Carotti, from Club Velico Castiglione della Pescaia, sailed strongly in the breeze and managed to control ITA 259 Maffezzoli brothers and ITA 242 by Gianni Torboli (Olympian in 1996 with the Celon brothers) in a couple of races. Their series 2-3-2-3-3-2-7 gave them the Italian title. Second in the Italian Championship was Gianni Torboli (4-5-4-10-2-3-2) and third Bruno Maffezzoli (3-6-5-1-5-5-6). Fifth was Johan Kahls. The last race was won by AUT 102 by Ludwing Beurle that sailed very well in the big breeze too with only two people onboard.
The Garda Soling Cup-Italian Championship was the fourth and last event of the 2009 Italian Soling Circuit (Castiglione della Pescaia, Bellano, Lovere, Riva del Garda). A strong new idea of the Italian Soling Association that bring a record 19 boats in the circuit, with new and young team ready to sail in the 2010 too.
For the 2010 the Circuit also will have 4 events: Spring Trophy in salt water in Castiglione della Pescaia in the Easter week (that announces the solution of the mooring problems), Italian Open Championship in Bellano (Lake Como) in May, Trofeo Vittorio Porta in Lovere (Lake Iseo) in June and the Garda Cup in Riva in mid-late september (to have some rest after the Europeans in France, where the Italian fleet will be present with 4 or 5 boats).


Complete results at:
www.soling.com/results/ShowResults.asp?ID=561