Lake Garda is where months of work either hold together or don't. Design, manufacturing, and racing — all evaluated in the same week, by the same jury, in real conditions.
Concepts presented and scored on engineering quality, sustainability thinking, and innovation.
Manufacturing process audited. Materials documented. The boat has to actually sail.
Fleet racing on Lake Garda. Machine and sailor tested together. Nothing decided until the last race.
Every sustainable material choice, every manufacturing decision, every design call made over months of work gets tested here — not on paper, not in simulation, but on the water, in front of the jury, against the rest of the fleet.
A quick boat with a poor footprint loses points. A flawless report attached to a boat that can't race loses them too. There is no shortcut.
What every team learns — what works, what breaks, what the data shows — goes into the public research archive. Next year's teams start from here. That's the point: not just to compete, but to move the whole field forward.
Ask anyone who has been to SuMoth before what they remember most, and the answer is rarely the podium. It's the team from another country who helped fix your foil at midnight. The dinners that ran too long. The arguments about materials that turned into friendships that lasted years. SuMoth is a competition — but it's also one of the few places where everyone is genuinely rooting for everyone else to get their boat on the water.
Eight days. Three stages running in parallel. Everything counts, and nothing is decided until the last race.
Schedule is indicative and subject to change. All activities at Fraglia Vela Malcesine, Lake Garda.
GPS tracking will be active during S2 Performance Trials and S3 Fleet Races. Watch every boat, every tack, in real time from anywhere in the world.
Track each boat's speed, foiling height, and performance runs during the S2 on-water evaluation. Data feeds directly into the jury scoring.
Follow the teams performance →Follow the full racing fleet on Lake Garda. Every start, every mark rounding, every finish — live positions for all competing SuMoths.
See the race results →Tracking links will be published here and on SuMoth social channels once confirmed. Follow @sumothchallenge for updates.
The SuMoth jury isn't a panel of distant experts ticking boxes. Many of them built their own SuMoth once. They know what it takes — the late nights, the compromises, the moment you find out on the water whether a call made six months ago was right. They're here because they care about where the industry is going, and they see SuMoth as one of the places it actually gets shaped.
nlcompFabio Bignolini
Co-Founder & CEO · nlcomp
Building recyclable composites for marine and wind energy. Brings deep-tech materials expertise and competitive sailing experience to the jury.
2023 WinnerMichele Bonetti
Naval Engineer · PLUS Solutions
Lead designer of BAI-Flying Lina, the winning SuMoth concept in 2023. Now working in R&D on naval architecture and fluid dynamics.
Alum/Southern SparsNatalia Citarella
Design Engineer · Southern Spars, New Zealand
Design engineer at Southern Spars supporting women in sailing and engineering by leading the STEM Pathway programme for The Magenta Project.
Circular EconomyKellie Covington
Marine Sustainability Consultant
Working in marine sustainability since 2017, across professional racing and superyachts. MBA in Circular Economy and a long-time SuMoth supporter returning as jury member.
Alum · ExecNoah Ferrarotto
Design Engineer · Future Fibers, UK
SuMoth alum and exec team member since 2023. Led Canadian team Rafale ÉTS in 2022. Composite specialist designing advanced rigging systems at Future Fibers.
America's CupMatías Figueiras
Controls Engineer · GB1 Racing
Co-led Southampton's 2024 SuMoth team before joining the AC75 America's Cup program with GB1 Racing. Specialises in real-time control systems for foiling yachts.
Alum · Co-hostCarolina Foroni
Autonomous Systems · DTU
SuMoth alum and former Polito Sailing Team builder. Returning this year as jury member and co-host while completing her studies at DTU.
AlumEmanuele Galbiati
Materials Engineer
SuMoth alumnus and former Polimi Sailing Team Leader. Co-designed two prototypes focused on sustainable composite manufacturing in 2024 and 2025. Researches composite structural optimisation for ocean sailboats under extreme slamming loads.
FounderBruno Giuntoli
Founder & Director · SuMoth Challenge / SuMA+
JuryTim Haines
MarineShift360Lizzy Howard
Project Manager · Marine Futures
Six years in marine lifecycle assessment. Co-developed MarineShift360 and works directly with SuMoth to build its sustainability evaluation framework.
Dufour AerospaceMathieu Janier
Composite Design & Manufacturing Lead · Dufour Aerospace
Career spanning Red Cross prosthetics, America's Cup boat parts, and Class C catamaran Rafale ÉTS. Now leading composite manufacturing at Dufour Aerospace.
Naval ArchitectSolano R. Leyra
Naval Architect & Professional Sailor
Naval Architect with experience across Moth components, foiling development, and Maxi offshore racing programs. Raced internationally in the IMA Maxi Yacht Circuit, Rolex Middle Sea Race, and Mediterranean Classic Yacht Circuit — bringing practical sailing experience directly to technical evaluation.
Olympic SailingLaura Marimon
Sport Engineering · RISE Maritime
PhD from Southampton, NACRA 17 campaigner for the British Sailing Team, and lead engineer for the Swedish Olympic Committee across Tokyo, Paris, and toward LA28.
JuryIsabella Modanese
JuryChris Museler
Ferrari HypersailRodrigo Nisi
Lead Project Engineer · Ferrari Hypersail Yard
Naval Architect with a decade in high-end yacht design and elite racing. Oversees composite construction and technical planning at Ferrari Hypersail.
JuryAdriano Petrino
JuryBeatrice Rimoldi
Sangiorgio MarineMaddalena Rossi
Aeronautical Engineer · Sangiorgio Marine
Aeronautical engineer specialising in aerodynamics, carbon structures and composite materials for high-performance yacht construction. Led the Polimi Sailing Team in 2022 and 2023.
AcademiaJean-Baptiste Souppez
Professor · Birmingham City University
Editor-in-Chief of SNAME Journal of Sailing Technology, ISO 12215 Convenor, and two-time RINA Medal of Distinction recipient.
North SailsMatija Succi
Sail Designer · North Sails Italy
Led his university team to victory at the SuMoth Challenge. Now designing sails for top Grand Prix programs at North Sails Italy. 2023 Richmond Award winner.
MarineShift360Ollie Taylor
Founder & Director · Marine Futures
Sustainability strategist and LCA practitioner. Has led MarineShift360 since 2022, translating lifecycle impact data into real-world low-carbon solutions across the marine industry.
Alum · CaptainLeonardo Vassimon
Naval Architect · Aurora Energy Research
Led Southampton's 2024 SuMoth team, building Moonshots' foil control system. Combines a love of wooden boatbuilding with a current focus on data-driven insights for the energy transition.
11th Hour Racing has been with SuMoth since the beginning — not as a logo on a banner, but as genuine believers in what happens when sustainability becomes a hard constraint, not a marketing afterthought. Their support makes this possible.
The SuMoth Challenge is proudly supported by 11th Hour Racing, a leading force in advancing sustainability through sport and innovation. Their commitment to protecting our oceans fuels everything we do.
We invite forward-thinking brands and organizations to join us as partners — supporting education, innovation, and environmental responsibility.
Together, we can change the course of sailing.
Support the next generation of naval designers.
Universities and educational organizations play a key role in shaping the future of sustainable sailing. By joining the SuMoth Challenge, your institution will empower students, drive research, and connect with a global network of innovators.
Partner with us to inspire the next generation of engineers and sailors.
Every year, talented students from around the world take on the SuMoth Challenge — designing and building innovative foiling boats with sustainability at their core. It’s a unique opportunity to learn, compete, and create real impact in the marine industry.
Ready to take on the challenge? Be part of the next edition and bring your ideas to life.
Join through your university or start your own team.