The 2025 52 Super Series drew to a close in Porto Cervo with a finale that underlined the historic dominance of Doug DeVos’ American Magic. The US team, already carrying a comfortable lead heading into Sardinia, secured a seventh overall title and completed a remarkable treble with the Royal Cup and the TP52 World Championship in Cascais. With this latest crown American Magic signs off as the most successful project in the class, bowing out after eighteen years at the top level of competition.
Hosted by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, the final regatta gathered thirteen boats from ten different nations in a week that offered a full range of conditions. Across the season forty races out of fifty scheduled were sailed and eleven teams managed to win at least one race, a measure of the circuit’s extraordinary balance. Yet American Magic’s consistency proved untouchable. Victories in three of the five regattas, combined with the tactical leadership of Terry Hutchinson and the crew’s ability to respond under pressure, made the difference.
The final day in Sardinia brought frustration as light airs and the threat of storms left the fleet ashore, forcing race director María Torrijo to confirm Friday’s results. That decision delivered the Porto Cervo event win to Takashi Okura’s Sled. The Japanese owner celebrated his second triumph on the Costa Smeralda, following his 2019 success, and closed the year as overall runner-up nineteen points behind American Magic.
France’s Paprec, led by Jean-Luc Petithuguenin, recorded its best ever season by securing third place in the overall standings. The French crew, already runners-up at the World Championship, underlined their steady rise in a year where new projects also impressed. Among them was Italy’s Alkedo Vitamina, owned by Andrea Lacorte, who finished fourth overall and was named top owner-driver of the season. Germany’s Platoon Aviation, champions in 2023, slipped outside the podium places but remained highly competitive, a reminder of just how fine the margins are in this fleet.
Not everything in Porto Cervo was about results. The week included a moving tribute to Matteo “Mate” Auguadro, bowman on Alegre who died in a skiing accident last January. The Challenge Trophy, created by the YCCS in his memory and voted for by all the fleet’s bowmen, was awarded to Greg Gendell of American Magic in an emotional ceremony attended by the entire community.
The season’s conclusion also provided reassurance about the circuit’s future. With American Magic stepping back as an active programme, at least two new teams are expected to join from 2026, including a new build currently in progress. This ensures that the 52 Super Series retains its vitality and its reputation as the world’s premier monohull grand prix circuit.
The story of 2025 will be remembered for American Magic’s confirmation as a TP52 legend, for the emergence of ambitious new owners setting their sights on the top, and for the tension of a fleet that continued to deliver open competition right until the final day. The stage is set for the next chapter, and once again the standard has been raised to the very highest level.
