MILAN (AP) — Italian team Luna Rossa’s challenge for the 34th America’s Cup has been accepted by the defending champion Golden Gate Yacht Club.
Linked with the Palermo sailing club Circolo della Vela Sicilia, the Italian sailing syndicate says it has signed a cooperation agreement with Emirates Team New Zealand through the end of 2012 for design and performance data.
The hulls for the Luna Rossa AC72 will be built in Italy but all other elements will be built in New Zealand in cooperation with the Kiwi team.
The Luna Rossa team was established in 1997 by Patrizio Bertelli with the original name of “Prada Challenge” for the 2000 America’s Cup, when it won the Louis Vuitton Cup.
The 34th America’s Cup will be held in San Francisco in September 2013.
