Mascalzone Latino

ITALY

Leader and skipper:

Vincenzo Onorato

Helmsman:

Paolo Cian

Tactician:

Flavio Favini

Mascalzone Latino (Italian rascal) is a

low-budget team

which arrived in Auckland in March 2002 to begin setting up its Cup base.

It practised with two boats, including Dennis Conner's 1999 contender Stars and Stripes which it purchased from OneWorld.

The team was formed in 1993/94 and has won numerous sailing titles. Onorato says their goal in the 2002 Louis Vuitton regatta is not to win, but to "survive".

History

A keen sailor, Vincenzo Onorato has a passion for sailing like no other. After success in a number of international events, he put together the Mascalzone Latino sailing team in 1993-94. Since their inception, the all-Italian team have won several world titles, before deciding to take their first shot at the Holy Grail of sailing - the America's Cup.

Crew

Completely new to the game. Only a handful of sailors in Mascalzone Latino have competed in the America's Cup. But sailing experience is not something they lack. Since 1997, they have competed in 14 major sailing events and have finished first or second in all but two of them. In those, they finished third. Helmsman Paola Cian won a bronze medal in the 1998 world soling championships and tactician Flavio Favini and navigator Silvio Arrivabene have long sailing histories.

Money

This is a relatively low-budget campaign, at $70 million. The Italian challenge's main sponsor is Italian communications company TIM.

Strengths

Time together. While most teams have formed in the past two years, many in this team have been sailing together 10 years.

Prospects

As the only one-boat campaign in the regatta, Mascalzone Latino face an uphill battle and are unlikely to make it into the quarter-finals. They've had a lot of success on the international scene but have they had enough time to master America's Cup yachts?

New boat:

ITA-72 Mascalzone Latino 12

,

launched May 4, 2002

Designer: Giovanni Ceccarelli

Hull colour: blue

Trial horses:

Mascalzone 10

(ex Bravo Espagna, Spanish boat from 1999)

USA-55

(ex Stars & Stripes from 1999, purchased from One World)

Club:

Reale Yacht Club Canottieri Savoia

Team website