Genoa, September 3, 2025 – “Allagrande Mapei” crossed the finish line in Genoa at 1:41 AM
(Italian time), after 2 days, 8 hours, 41 minutes, and 14 seconds of racing.
This first IMOCA victory has a special meaning for Ambrogio Beccaria and his teammates, who won “at home,” with the support of main sponsor Mapei.
It also marked a turning point in the competition: “Biotherm” and Paul Meilhat, untouchable since the start of The Ocean Race Europe, saw their supremacy fade in this fourth leg.
“When you hope to win and then you actually win, it’s truly wonderful,” said Ambrogio Beccaria upon disembarking at the Old Port.
- “It was a magnificent, incredible, and on average very windy leg, with several gusts close to thirty knots.”
“We are delighted with this victory,” - says Simona Giorgetta, Mapei Board Member - “At sea,
we never gave up, the newly formed team is increasingly cohesive, and the results are showing.
Thanks to the commitment, determination, and enthusiasm of every single boy and girl
of Allagrande Mapei Racing, of TR Racing and Mapei’s sponsorship department who
worked together and in harmony, we were able to overcome difficulties, improve, and take the project
a step forward on the journey just begun towards the Vendée Globe 2028.”
Nice-Genoa When the fourth leg of The Ocean Race Europe started last Sunday, August 31, off Nice, the challenge among the seven very fast IMOCAs immediately reignited.
From the very first hours of the race, “Allagrande Mapei” settled into the leading group, positioning itself about ten miles behind leaders “Biotherm,” “Holcim-PRB,” and “Paprec Arkea.” With a light east-southeast wind, typical of the season, the fleet sailed along Corsica before crossing the Strait of Bonifacio, a passage as beautiful as it is technical.
Thanks to Morgan Lagravière’s experience and Manon Peyre’s spirited return, the crew expertly managed the upwind navigation in flat seas, awaiting more favorable conditions in the Tyrrhenian Sea.
On Tuesday, September 2, the scenario changed in favor of “Allagrande Mapei.”
The Italian IMOCA finally found the expected southerly flow, between 16 and 20 knots, unleashing its full potential downwind. This was despite an engine failure, which deprived them of power and navigation instruments for several hours. Relying on instinct, Ambrogio Beccaria’s crew, with Thomas Ruyant, Morgan Lagravière, and Manon Peyre, managed to catch up with and then overtake “Paprec Arkéa” during the night and lead the way off Livorno and the Ligurian coast.
A strong symbol for Ambrogio, who knows these waters well, and led the tactical sequence of tacks in front of La Spezia, where he lived and trained as a naval engineer.
But there were still 160 miles to go in the Gulf of Genoa. The top four were sailing in close contact, separated by less than two miles. At the Gallinara waypoint, “Allagrande Mapei” took the lead and set its own pace. Gradually, the Italian IMOCA increased its lead, distancing itself from “Paprec Arkéa” by twenty miles.
While the last breaths of light wind, as they approached the Ligurian Riviera, slowed the fleet, they did not challenge the dominance of the boat led by Ambrogio Beccaria, who crossed the finish line in Genoa at 1:41 AM (Italian time) on Wednesday night, after 2 days, 8 hours, 41 minutes, and 14 seconds of racing.
Ambrogio Beccaria, skipper: “We immediately made a small mistake in a tack towards the scoring gate, which cost us some precious meters. The descent along Corsica was complex, with broad upwind conditions where the boat struggles a bit to take off. But then, exiting the Strait of Bonifacio was simply magnificent: we flew at 20 knots upwind, a sensation never felt before. In Sardinia, we sailed near the places where I learned to sail: truly special moments, with friends and boats that came to greet us.”
“But the most critical moment came during a long leg towards La Spezia: without power on board, we were completely in the dark, without instruments, without connection. I steered at night ‘blindly’ while Morgan tried to solve the problem. After more than an hour, fortunately, we managed to restore everything. And it was incredible to discover that, precisely in those two hours in the dark, we had overtaken our competitors.”
“The last part, in the Gulf of Genoa, was very technical, with continuous transitions and a lot of tension. But we made it. And yes, just before the last leg, I prepared a nice pesto pasta for the crew: it was much needed! This leg, finally with wind, was one of the most beautiful. Sailing with these boats in these conditions is truly the best: everything seems easier, even with 25 knots!”
Thomas Ruyant, co-skipper: “It was a beautiful arrival, and even more so for Bogi here in Italy. We told ourselves we would have a good race, and perhaps that extra bit of motivation made something click. The start of the Ocean Race Europe was complicated for us, but then we grew during the race. Winning here is a great satisfaction for the entire Allagrande Mapei Racing team, for TRRacing, for Mapei, and also for Morgan, who will not be doing the next leg. Finding one’s balance on such demanding boats is not easy. In this leg, we finally managed to express our full potential, especially downwind in strong winds, and the result came.”
A storyteller of the sea aboard “Allagrande Mapei”
The last “leg jumper” of “Allagrande Mapei,” after Rachele Fogar in the opening leg, Rachele Somaschini in the third Spanish leg, and Stefano Deri in the leg departing from Nice, will be YouTuber Francesco Sena. Born in 1989, a freediver, sailor, and storyteller of the sea, Sena will join the rest of the crew and then dive just before the start that will take place at the Old Port of Genoa on Sunday, September 7 at 3:00 PM. The fifth and final leg of The Ocean Race Europe connects the Italian city to Boka Bay in Montenegro.
Alongside freediving, which he has practiced since he was very young, Sena cultivates a deep passion for sailing and navigation. With his sailboat “Peperita,” he undertakes trips and reports in the Mediterranean, telling stories through his YouTube channel and projects dedicated to the protection of the marine environment. “Given my passion for the sea and especially for sailing,” says Francesco Sena, “I can only accept this invitation to The Ocean Race Europe with great honor and enthusiasm.
With Ambrogio, in addition to the relationship related to navigation, we are also linked by a common passion for freediving and spearfishing. Furthermore, I have followed his Allagrande Mapei Racing project from day zero, including all the small setbacks he has experienced, the sacrifices behind it, and I believe that the tenacity, commitment, and motivation that he is putting into it, along with his entire team, are very perceptible from the outside. So, I am very happy to be able to tell a part of his story with him.”
