Platoon Aviation have clinched the 2026 52 SUPER SERIES season championship in convincing fashion on the storied America’s Cup waters off Valencia, Spain. Harm Müller-Spreer and his German-flagged crew sealed the deal at the fifth and final event of the campaign, the 52 SUPER SERIES Valencia Sailing Week, which concluded with a single race in a light sea breeze.
Müller-Spreer is no stranger to championship glory. Back in 2023 in Mallorca the title went to a dead heat, decided only on tie break against Ergin Imre’s Provezza, which had dominated that year before suffering major rigging damage early in the decisive week.
This time, however, after a gripping season-long battle with Takashi Okura’s Sled, the Platoon Aviation crew converted the 11-point cushion they carried into the finale into a commanding 30-point victory margin. Sled had won the first two regattas of the season, including the Rolex TP52 World Championship in Porto Cervo, Sardinia, but faded badly in Valencia’s light, shifty conditions.
Sled’s title challenge was compromised by a gear failure at the second of two back-to-back events in Lanzarote. And amid Valencia’s fickle breezes this week, in a record-sized fleet of 16 teams, Sled simply could not find a way to consistently beat Platoon.
Across the season Platoon finished second behind Sled in Puerto Portals, Mallorca, third at the world championship, then faltered at Marina Rubicon when several gennakers blew out in strong winds. But they roared back to win the Royal Cup for the fourth time in Puerto Calero before securing their fourth podium of the season in Valencia, finishing third with Sled down in eighth. Platoon’s winning roster includes two key Spanish sailors who won the 32nd America’s Cup with Alinghi on these very waters, strategist Jordi Calafat and navigator Juan Vila.
The Hamburg businessman beamed, “I mean this is such a big honour to win in a fleet like this against all these great professionals, all these super advanced teams and a record fleet of 16 boats on the start lines here. And here we are winning after a long, long season with so many ups and downs, a few material breakdowns, not good for results, some mistakes, but here to be on the top of the podium that’s really a big honour to win against all these America’s Cup heroes.”
Platoon Aviation’s tactician, Italian Vasco Vascotto, has now won the 52 SUPER SERIES title five times and was thrilled that success arrived on his 57th birthday. “We are very, very happy, especially because we know that this event could have gone one way or the other. We had Sled that is so strong with plenty of amazing sailors on board. We have done well on our own last part of the season, let’s say, very, very happy how we performed. The boat is getting better and I think that the crew and the shore team, everybody did an amazing job.”
Since launching as a new boat for the 2024 season, the Platoon team took time to find the keys to make their machine a winner. After finishing fifth overall in 2025, a new keel this season and further updates have turned Platoon Aviation into one of the quickest in the fleet. Last year Müller-Spreer sat out two regattas and the team missed the input of their America’s Cup winning strategist Jordi Calafat.
It was a day of very mixed emotions for the Sled camp, who signed off from the circuit with second place overall. This year’s world champions have been one of the most consistent, reliable and likeable teams on tour. Project manager Don Cowie summed up, “We are disappointed with the way it went here but we are happy with second overall, world champions and being on the podium at three of five events. And I’m told we have been on the podium at seven of the last ten regattas. It has been a very successful campaign for the Sled team and for Mr Okura. We are disappointed to have sailed the way we did today. But we have had a great time over the years, winning five races in a row in Porto Cervo in 2019, that was a real highlight with Mr Okura driving and winning the last regatta of last season with Mr Okura driving was another highlight as was winning the worlds and the season title in 2021. At that time we were the first team outside of Azzurra and Quantum to win it.”
Andrea Lacorte’s Alkedo Cetilar crew delivered on both of their pre-season goals. The team, which only joined the circuit last year, fulfilled their main target by finishing on the season podium in third overall, but put the cherry on top by winning a regatta. They clinched the Valencia title with a second place in the final race and in doing so marked themselves out as serious 2027 championship contenders.
Lacorte was overwhelmed. “I don’t believe what has happened today! This is so much ahead of our expectations. The crew has done such an excellent job and Cam has worked magic all week. We have the best team! And winning an event in just the second year is something I would never, ever have believed.”
Alkedo’s Cameron Appleton added, “I am relieved, this has been such a battle all year. We have an amazing fleet here, some incredible teams who have put in a lot of work, a lot of efforts into what we are all trying to achieve out there on the race course. We have an amazing group of people who really do work their hearts out every day, they wear their emotions on their sleeves, it has been such a pleasure to lead them and to sail with them and everyone working to make our boat go fast.”
Müller-Spreer is top owner-driver for the season, Lacorte is second and No Way Back’s Dutch owner Pieter Heerema is third, finishing fourth overall.
52 SUPER SERIES Valencia Sailing Week Overall: 1. Alkedo Cetilar (ITA), Andrea Lacorte, 10+1+7+1+1+12+2+2 = 36; 2. No Way Back (NED), Pieter Heerema, 4+7+13+3+3+4+1+8 = 43; 3. Platoon Aviation (GER), Harm Müller-Spreer, 6+6+1+5+13+5+4+5 = 45; 4. Vayu (THA), Whitcraft Family, 8+2+5+2+12+15+15+1 = 60; 5. Trinity Racing (SWE), Joakim Sundberg, 1+14+4+4+14+6+8+10 = 61; 6. Provezza (TUR), Ergin Imre, 14+4+14+11+5+3+7+3 = 61; 7. Paprec (FRA), Jean-Luc Petithuguenin, 2+3+12+7+9+2+14+14 = 63; 8. Sled, Takashi Okura, 5+5+3+6+11+8+11+15 = 64; 9. Alpha+ (HKG), Shawn & Tina Kang, 11+11+9+8+10+9+3+4 = 65; 10. Gladiator (GBR), Tony Langley, 3+13+15+9+8+1+9+9 = 67; 11. Katana (USA), John Huhn, 9+9+2+12+7+11+10+12 = 72; 12. Crioula (BRA), Eduardo & Renato Plass, 12+16+8+15+6+10+5+6 = 78; 13. Caballo Loco (BRA), Mauro Dottori, 16+15+6+10+2+7+16+11 = 83; 14. Alegre (GBR), Andy Soriano, 13+12+10+13+4+14+12+7 = 85; 15. Teasing Machine (FRA), Eric de Turckheim, 7+8+16+14+15+16+6+13 = 95; 16. Vudu (ITA), Mauro Gestri, 15+10+11+16+16+13+13+16 = 110.
52 SUPER SERIES 2026 Overall after five regattas: 1. Platoon Aviation (GER), Harm Müller-Spreer, 51+53+33+34+45 = 216; 2. Sled, Takashi Okura, 42+47+31+62+64 = 246; 3. Alkedo Cetilar (ITA), Andrea Lacorte, 58+56+26+77+36 = 253; 4. No Way Back (NED), Pieter Heerema, 52+69+44+69+43 = 277; 5. Trinity Racing (SWE), Joakim Sundberg, 73+49+46+61+61 = 290; 6. Paprec (FRA), Jean-Luc Petithuguenin, 72+61+24+71+63 = 291; 7. Alpha+ (HKG), Shawn & Tina Kang, 67+55+48+70+65 = 305; 8. Provezza (TUR), Ergin Imre, 56+71+62+60+61 = 310; 9. Crioula (BRA), Eduardo & Renato Plass, 59+76+66+59+78 = 338; 10. Vayu (THA), Whitcraft Family, 86+73+55+66+60 = 340; 11. Alegre (GBR), Andy Soriano, 90+72+50+76+85 = 373; 12. Gladiator (GBR), Tony Langley, 59+88+89+76+67 = 379; 13. Teasing Machine (FRA), Eric de Turckheim, 83+82+69+111+139+95 = 468; 14. Caballo Loco (BRA), Mauro Dottori, 100+102+98+140+83 = 523; 15. Katana (USA), John Huhn, 135+144+98+140+72 = 589; 16. Vudu (ITA), Mauro Gestri, 135+126+98+140+110 = 609.
