Newsgroup: it.fan.starwars
Titolo: Mpf...

One of the most interesting parts of unveiling day was the muted
rumblings from the Alinghi camp that the Challenger of Record Prada
syndicate was seen to be racing against Team New Zealand, in a flagrant
breach of a signed mutual understanding that the challengers would not
in any way assist the defenders. 
This is not the first time this has happened in the America’s Cup as in
2000 Team New Zealand lined up against the Nippon Challenge and all hell
broke loose with Prada’s boss Patrizio Bertelli bitterly complaining to
the then challenger of record, the New York Yacht Club. 
Moves were taken to stop this happening in 2003 as Prada took the reigns
of the challengers but just three days after the Louis Vuitton Cup
concluded, the Oracle camp witnessed Prada shadow boxing with the Kiwis. 
Chris Dickson happily leant his name to the claim whilst Oracle’s rules
advisor Tom Ehman also added weight to one of the more significant moves
in the Cup so far. Yesterday at the unveiling ceremony, Alinghi’s pitman
Josh Belsky again confirmed the rumour and if it’s true then what could
be the motives behind the Italians breaching their own rule? 
Ruthless self-interest is at the heart of the matter. Bertelli is
anxious that the Cup doesn’t go to Europe as there have been tentative
approaches made by up to four Italian syndicates and that the ‘Prada’
syndicate wouldn’t be able to compete in the exposure stakes. 
Prada had it pretty easy in the 2000 Cup but in 2003, they were well off
the pace and out-manoeuvred by the Latin Rascals of Mascalzone Latino.
Vincenzo Onorato’s team from the Island of Elba were taken dearly to the
Kiwi public’s heart and Prada were forced to up their PR effort both in
Auckland and at home to get any kind of positive reaction. 
Prada’s starting helmsman, Kiwi Rod Davis has also joined the Team New
Zealand camp and one can’t help but think that there’s something very
fishy going on between Prada and TNZ. Presumably Davis is out of
contract with the Italians now and is entitled to sail for whoever he
likes but it’s mightily coincidental that he should come from a
syndicate that initiated a rule that sys ‘no collaboration.’ 
Furthermore and rather shockingly comes the rumour that Prada were not
alone in collaborating with Team New Zealand. GBR Challenge is also
embroiled in the mire with speculation surrounding their testing period
just after they were knocked out by Stars & Stripes in the
quarter-finals. 
Comunque quelli di Prada hanno smentito tutto...
-- 
"30 orizzontale, 2 lettere: lo e' la domenica
di Rai 1."
"Opel."
"Eh?"
"Il 30 orizzontale e': costruisce l'Astra. Ed 
e' di 4 lettere."
"Tu bari."

 Comunque quelli di Prada hanno smentito tutto...
Mmmmbah....
Vedremo.
--
-Anakin- a.k.a. -Dean Barker-
"Dark Lord"
"Sono un principe libero ed ho altrettanta autorita'
di fare guerra al mondo,quanto colui che ha cento navi in mare"
-Samuel Bellamy-
Pirata nelle Antille - XVII° Secolo

 Vedremo.
Cmq, mi fa molto ridere il fatto che Bertelli non voglia che la Coppa si
disputi in Italia o nel Mediterraneo perche' si avrebbero, in tal caso,
con tutta probabilita' molti piu' sfidanti e si perderebbe  il livello
"snob" della faccenda (disse, se non erro: "Ve l'immaginate il Processo
del Lunedi' che parla di vela... no, e allora che la Coppa resti in
NZ").


 NZ").
Beh, se devo esser sincero la cosa mi terrorizza....


 Beh, se devo esser sincero la cosa mi terrorizza....
Che poi tutto questo venga fatto perche' cosi' c'e' meno genete a
rompere le balle per una eventuale nuova sfida in terra neozelandese mi
pare molto piu' probabile.
E' chiaro, comunque, che la concorrenza di quest'anno era molto piu'
forte di quella della volta scorsa...
