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from NAUTICA
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GREAT EXPECTATION FOR THE FIRST REGATTAS OF THE TOSCANA ELBA CUP – LOCMAN TROPHY SCHEDULED TOMORROW

The 2005 edition of the Toscana Elba Cup – Locman Trophy will start at 10:00 tomorrow. There is great anticipation for the showdown between Russell Coutts, Peter Gilmour and the skippers of the syndicates registered for the 32nd America’s Cup.

The crews have dedicated today to sea trials. All the teams registered for the fourth edition of the Toscana Elba Cup – Locman Trophy have arrived. During the day, the crews took turns at sea to carry out trials aboard the SM 40s, the boats that will be used in Porto Azzurro.

The list of participants in the 2005 edition of the Elba event, the fifth and only Italian event of the Swedish Match Tour, the international professional match racing circuit, is very attractive. The Porto Azzurro race is absolutely unmissable for all sailing enthusiasts. In fact, all the teams that will take part in the 32nd America's Cup are registered, Russell Coutts, winner of the last three editions of the prestigious trophy and of the 2004 edition of the Toscana Elba Cup - Trofeo Locman, and the reigning champion of the Swedish Match Tour, Peter Gilmour. Teams and skippers entered: Alinghi – Ed Baird, Alinghi – Peter Holmberg, BMW ORACLE Racing – Gavin Brady, Desafio Español – Karol Jablonski, Emirates Team New Zealand – Ben Ainslie, K-Challenge – Thierry Peponnet, Luna Rossa Challenge – Francesco de Angelis, Luna Rossa Challenge – James Spithill, Pizza-La Sailing Team – Peter Gilmour (reigning Swedish Match Tour champion), Team Capitalia – Hamish Pepper, Russell Coutts (three-time America’s Cup winner and winner of the 2004 Elba Cup), Team Shosholoza – Ian Ainslie, Victory Challenge – Magnus Holmberg, +39 Challenge – Iain Percy.

Luna Rossa Challenge and Team Alinghi are present with two crews each, skippered respectively by: de Angelis and Spithill, Holmberg and Baird. Racing will start tomorrow at 10:00.

The 14 crews have been divided into two groups (A and B) of seven each that will give life to the elimination Round Robin (14 rounds in total) scheduled for Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 May. Each team will meet the other crews once each.

At the end of the Round Robins, the top three in each group will advance to the quarter-finals. The last four in each group will compete against each other to compete for the last two places in the quarter-finals that will be held on Friday 6 in the best of three races.

The semifinals, in the best of five races, will be held on May 7. The final is scheduled for Sunday 8th, which will award the title of Champion for 2005 in the best of five races. Group A Alinghi – E. Baird Luna Rossa Challenge – J. Spithill Alinghi – P. Holmberg Victory Challenge – M. Holmberg Emirates Team New Zealand – B. Ainslie Team Capitalia – H. Pepper Luna Rossa Challenge – F. de Angelis Group B Team Russell Coutts – R. Coutts Pizza-La Sailing Team – P. Gilmour BMW ORACLE Racing – G. Brady Desafio Español – K. Jablonski +39 Challenge – I. Percy K-Challenge – T. Peponnet Team Shosholoza – I. Ainslie.

The Toscana Elba Cup – Trofeo Locman, a Grade 1 ISAF event, will be contested with the new SM 40 one-designs and will have a prize pool of 75,000 euros.

The event is made possible thanks to the contribution of Locman Italy, Gruppo Monte dei Paschi di Siena, BMW, Moby, Associazione Albergatori Elbani, Conad del Tirreno Nocentini Group, Cartiera Verde della Liguria, Sebago, Grand Hotel Elba International and Easy Living. Furthermore, the event enjoys the patronage and contribution of the Ministry of the Environment, the Tuscany Region and the Tuscan Archipelago National Park. The organization is handled by a committee that brings together the Tourist Promotion Agency, trade associations and the Municipality of Porto Azzurro, while technical and logistical support at sea will be guaranteed as in previous years by the Comitato dei Circoli Velici Elbani.