Photos: Nico Martinez / 52 SUPER SERIES
UP TOP Media / Felipe Juncadella / Katana Sailing
Platoon Aviation leads Sled by 11 points. Alkedo Cetilar, Paprec and Trinity Racing fight for the podium, while the former champion Platoon TP52 returns to the fleet under the Katana name.
VALENCIA, SPAIN — The 2026 52 SUPER SERIES season reaches its final act in Valencia, where the championship will be decided over the final 10 races of the season.
The Valencia Sailing Week will take place from 5 to 10 October, with 16 teams representing 11 different nationalities lining up off Valencia’s Malvarrosa Beach.
Official practice is scheduled for Monday, 5 October, followed by five days of racing from 6 to 10 October.
And with only 11 points separating the top two boats, there is little room for error.
PLATOON AVIATION LEADS BY 11 POINTS
Harm Müller-Spreer and Platoon Aviation arrive in Valencia at the top of the overall standings with 171 points.
The German team moved into the lead after winning the Puerto Calero Lanzarote Royal Cup, the fourth event of the 2026 season.
Behind them is Takashi Okura’s Sled, on 182 points.
Sled arrives in Valencia as the 2026 Rolex TP52 World Champion, but the team now has another title to chase: the 2026 52 SUPER SERIES season championship.
The gap between Platoon Aviation and Sled is just:
11 POINTS.
With up to 10 races scheduled in Valencia, the championship remains firmly open.
Platoon’s tactician Vasco Vascotto will once again be central to the team’s title campaign, while Sled’s experienced programme is looking to overturn the deficit in the final event of the season.
THE PODIUM BATTLE IS JUST AS TIGHT
Behind the two championship contenders, the fight for the remaining podium places is also wide open.
Andrea Lacorte’s Alkedo Cetilar sits third on 217 points.
Paprec, led by Jean-Luc Petithuguenin, is fourth on 228 points.
Just one point behind is Trinity Racing, on 229 points.
That leaves Paprec and Trinity Racing separated by a single point heading into the final event.
For Trinity Racing, Valencia also marks the final chapter of its debut 52 SUPER SERIES season, with Joakim Sundberg at the helm and America’s Cup winner Ed Baird among the team’s key figures.
KATANA: A NEW NAME WITH A CHAMPIONSHIP PEDIGREE
One of the most intriguing stories in Valencia will be the arrival of Katana.
Calling Katana simply a new team, however, would miss an important part of the story.
The boat is the former 2018 Platoon — the TP52 that won both the 2023 52 SUPER SERIES championship and the 2023 Rolex TP52 World Championship.
American sailor John Huhn acquired the boat in 2023, when it was still racing as Platoon.
That same TP52 went on to win the 2023 52 SUPER SERIES championship and the 2023 Rolex TP52 World Championship.
Now it returns to the 52 SUPER SERIES fleet under the Katana name.
Huhn will helm the boat, with experienced TP52 sailor Morgan Larson serving as tactician.
Katana has also built an impressive record in the United States, winning the GL52 Great Lakes Series championship in both 2024 and 2025.
The Valencia appearance represents the team’s return to the 52 SUPER SERIES circuit and an important step towards a broader programme in 2027.
16 TEAMS. 11 NATIONALITIES.
The Valencia fleet will feature:
Alegre — Andy Soriano
Alkedo Cetilar — Andrea Lacorte
Alpha+ — Shawn & Tina Kang
Caballo Loco — Mauro Dottori
Crioula — Eduardo & Renato Plass
Gladiator — Tony Langley
Katana — John Huhn
No Way Back — Pieter Heerema
Paprec — Jean-Luc Petithuguenin
Platoon Aviation — Harm Müller-Spreer
Provezza — Ergin İmre
Sled — Takashi Okura
Teasing Machine — Eric de Turckheim
Trinity Racing — Joakim Sundberg
Vayu — Whitcraft Family
Vudu — Mauro Gestri
It is the largest fleet in the history of the 52 SUPER SERIES.
WIND AND TACTICS WILL BE CRITICAL
The racing area off Valencia’s Malvarrosa Beach is expected to provide another demanding test for the fleet.
Valencia is known for changing wind patterns, and the conditions can shift significantly during a race week.
The latest weather outlook will become increasingly reliable as the fleet approaches the first start.
For the teams fighting for the championship, every tactical decision — from the opening start to the final mark — could prove decisive.
FIVE DAYS. TEN RACES.
5 October
Official practice
6 October
Race day
7 October
Race day
8 October
Race day
9 October
Race day
10 October
Final day
Up to 10 scoring races are scheduled across the final five days.
By Saturday afternoon, the 2026 52 SUPER SERIES champion will be crowned.
WATCH IT LIVE
The Valencia Sailing Week will be broadcast live through the official 52 SUPER SERIES website and YouTube channel, with English and Spanish commentary.
THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
Platoon Aviation — 171 points.
Sled — 182 points.
Just 11 points separate them.
Behind them, Alkedo Cetilar, Paprec and Trinity Racing are fighting for the podium.
Provezza arrives in eighth.
And a TP52 that once ruled the circuit as Platoon is returning under a new name:
KATANA.
16 teams. 11 nationalities. 10 races.
The 2026 52 SUPER SERIES champion will be decided in Valencia.
5–10 October 2026.
DON’T MISS THE FINAL.
SAILING TIMES
