THE DRIVER LACORTE

Roberto Lacorte is an approachable character with magnetic enthusiasm. It was immediately evident how much he loves Flying Nikka and its innovative push into the unknown.

Lacorte hadn’t sailed a foiler before starting this project, but threw himself into the challenge by doing two seasons on the 69F circuit with his core crew. Similarly, he only started motorsport 15 years ago and after his first year of driving, he reportedly said he wanted to do the 24-hour formula, to many people’s surprise. Yet in 2017 Lacorte raced his first Le Mans and finished top 10 in his class.

“His character is to try to go one step further than everyone else,” says his communications man Emanuel Richelmy,

“He likes the challenge.”

Lacorte is a self made man, the son of a butcher who, with his brother, started a pharmaceutical business 20 years ago. Their natural based products include two big patents, one being the Cetilar skin cream that forms the sponsorship behind Roberto’s motor and sailing programmes.

He bought his first boat, a Comet 28 Race, in kit form, and during the build became intrigued with seeing a project through. His first Nikka, a combination of his two children’s names, was a First 40.7, followed by a Vismara 47, which is when the core team for the Vismara Mills 62 Supernikka was established. It’s telling that they remain together today.

It was a shame he couldn’t sail with us on my test day, but he was called to Maranello to see his 15-year-old son’s final trials for Ferrari. “He was the fastest driver in qualifying yesterday,” he tells me proudly. Speed is obviously in the genes.