• Regatta 5 and Team New Zealand donned their defender outfit

The America's Cup has fascinated the world's most powerful businessmen since its genesis: the schooner America that gives the regatta its name, after defeating the British fleet in 1851, was commissioned by a group of New York businessmen to demonstrate the potential of American technology at the first World's Fair in London.

Since then, many tycoons have been seduced by the Hundred Guineas Jug, but very few have left their mark on it.

Patrizio Bertelli

belongs to the latter group

, who has

spent

24 of his 74 years chasing the holy grail of the sea with Luna Rossa.

The profile of the billionaire obsessed with the silver ewer is motley.

There are oilmen like

William Rockfeller

or

Bill Koch

;

owners of tech giants like

Paul Allen

or

Larry Ellison

;

adventurers like aviation pioneer

Sir Thomas Sopwith

;

businessmen who ended up involved in scandals such as

Alan Bond

or

Raúl Gardini

and even a direct descendant of Muhammad,

Aga Khan IV

.

Bertelli owes his fortune (5,200 million dollars, according to Forbes) to his wife,

Miuccia Prada

, owner of the empire that bears his surname, although the Tuscan, as executive director, was a key player in the revolution that Grupo Prada brought about in the industry of the luxury.

Both form such an influential couple in the business world as in the sport of sailing are James Spithill and

Francesco Bruni

, the two helmsmen of the AC75 Luna Rossa, which since last week has been competing in Auckland (New Zealand) against Team New Zealand for the Cup.

The dream started in 1997

As is happening in hundreds of thousands of homes in Italy, by Patrizio's house in Arezzo the alarm clock goes off at untimely hours to connect with regattas in the antipodes.

Bertelli cannot be with his team on the best chance he has ever had of winning the America's Cup because managing the business group in times of pandemic requires spending a lot of time at headquarters.

Berterlli's dream began in 1997. The Italian, a sailor since the 1970s, wanted to have a pleasure boat built with a design by

Germán Frers

.

It was the prestigious Argentine naval architect who suggested that he try his luck in the America's Cup.

He accepted the challenge immediately and in 15 days the project was underway.

Bertelli has spent hundreds of millions of euros in five and a half campaigns, the first three personally financed and the rest through the sponsorship of Prada.

Kiwis have always stood in their way: Team New Zealand beat Luna Rossa in the final of the 30th America's Cup in 2000 (5-0) and in the Louis Vuitton Cup finals in Valencia (2007) and San Francisco (2013).

Even when he fell in the 2003 semi-finals, New Zealand's big stars were on the Alinghi boat.

His only absence in the regatta was in 2017 (not counting the 2010 Valencia court edition), when Bertelli withdrew his team due to what he considered an abuse of power by the Defender,

Larry Ellison's

Oracle

.

And he helped Team New Zealand to overthrow the Yankees.

The memory of Sir Thomas Lipton

Although Bertelli is carried away by demons when he hears it, the Italian's determination to possess the oldest sports trophy in the world is reminiscent of the tenacity of

Sir Thomas Lipton

, who for three decades (1899-1930) presented five challenges.

The Scotsman never won the Old Cup, but his sportsmanship earned him to be remembered as the best loser in the world, as well as to raise his empire of tea bags in America thanks to the first sports sponsorship campaign in history.

Prada also puts its image in the regatta (this year it has also sponsored the challenge battle), but that is not the reason that pushes Bertelli.

His is pure passion for sailing.

The winner of the Copa América obtains the right to organize the next edition, choosing the venue, dates and ship.

What will Bertelli do if Luna Rossa wins?

He has hinted that he will keep the AC75s, that he will recover the most traditional essence of the regatta and that he will try to attract more teams.

For this, according to rumors, he could count on the return of

Ernesto Bertarelli

, the richest man in Switzerland and owner of the Cup between 2003 and 2010 with Alinghi.

Nor has he confessed what he will do in case of a new defeat, but Italy hopes that it will remain a myth for a while.

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