America’s Cup: Luna Rossa sign former Team New Zealand sailor Josh Junior for Naples campaign

Luna Rossa are making waves.

On Friday, the Italian syndicate set the America’s Cup realm abuzz as they announced the signing of former Emirates Team New Zealand helmsman Peter Burling.

It was a major coup, given his success at the top level and knowledge of the AC75 foiling monohulls.

But that wasn’t all they accomplished in their recruitment drive.

Former Team NZ sailor Josh Junior has signed on with Luna Rossa for the 38th edition of the America’s Cup, set to be contested in the Italian city of Naples in 2027, and has been with the Italian syndicate for the past few months.

While Luna Rossa are yet to formally announce the recruitment as they did with Burling’s, a member of the team confirmed to the Herald that Junior was part of their group, and he appeared briefly in a promotional video Luna Rossa released as part of their announcement of Burling’s signing.

Junior is also a three-time America’s Cup winner with Team NZ, joining the outfit ahead of the 2017 challenge alongside the likes of Burling, Blair Tuke and Andy Maloney.

In the most recent campaign, Junior was among the back-up sailors and was involved in a coaching role. He also played a key role in leading the Team NZ Youth and Women’s America’s Cup programmes. It is understood Team NZ offered Junior a role to return for a fourth campaign with the group.

Like Burling, Junior brings a wealth of knowledge with him into the Italians syndicate, who are looking to a new era after long-time helmsman Jimmy Spithill retired following the team’s elimination in Barcelona. The Italians have a storied history in the event and have consistently been one of the top teams involved – but are yet to win the Cup.

Team NZ’s core group for the new campaign was announced in early May. Tuke, Maloney, Nathan Outteridge and Sam Meech were all confirmed to return to the team, while British sailor Chris Draper had also been recruited by the defender.

Junior’s role with the Italians is yet to be defined, with the protocol for the regatta not yet confirmed.

It is still not known when to expect a finalised protocol, after initial indications were that it was to be unveiled by June 20 (NZT). A draft version of the document released by Team NZ indicated up to two non-nationals may participate as a crew member for racing in the new cycle, provided they did not race with another team in the final preliminary regatta, the Challenger Series or the America’s Cup match in Barcelona last year.

Signing the two Kiwis, who have had plenty of success in both America’s Cup, Olympic classes and in SailGP, shows the Italians are leaving no stone unturned in their bid to claim the Auld Mug for the first time.

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.