Two-time Olympic gold medalist Roman Hagara and Hans-Peter Steinacher are aiming to win the GC32 Racing Tour after competing for the first time in 2019.
Hagara will serve as skipper and Steinacher as helmsman and tactician as they compete against some of the world's best teams, including America's Cup teams Ineos Team UK and NORAUTO. Here's everything you need to know:
The GC32 Racing Tour consists of five rounds and starts in Sardinia from May 22. Hagara and Steinacher, gold medalists on the water in Sydney and Athens, will use all their experience to become winners for the first time. The pair will be on board with Australian duo Rhys Mara and Mark Spearman and young Swede Julius Hallström.
Hagara said:
"It's going to be an interesting season this year. We now have two combined circuits, the Extreme Sailing Series and the GC32 Race Tour, so we will have really strong teams from both. The first event will see more boats on the start line. Alinghi, the winner of last year's Extreme Sailing Series, will be on the start line, French America's Cup team NORAUTO will be present, and Ben Ainslie's America's Cup team Ineos is coming."
In total, there are 10 teams or more at each terminal stop, with events also planned for Lagos, Mallorca and Riva del Garda in Italy. The location for the season finale has not yet been determined. So far, the team has had a training camp in Villasimius, where it was tested by heavy rain and wind, but managed to successfully tune the state-of-the-art vehicle. Before the start of the season they will be visited by two-time America's Cup winner Jimmy Spithill, who lives in Italy as a member of the Luna Rossa team.
Hagara added, "Hans-Peter and I sailed the last two Extreme Sailing Series events in 2018 and were quite successful, including second place at the season finale in Mexico. We'll try to continue that momentum this year, and together with our crew who already know the boat, I think we can do really well from the first events."
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