Alpha+

Shawn and Tina Kang’s Alpha + programme joined the world’s leading Grand Prix monohull circuit for the 2023 season and so this will be the fourth season of racing. They continue on an upwards trajectory taking an fourth overall at the Rolex TP52 World Championship in 2024 and then finishing third in Mallorca last year at the Puerto Portals 52 SUPER SERIES regattas.  They were seventh overall for the season.

And so in 2026 the objective is to be consistent among the top third of the fleet and eliminate the big scores.

The Alpha Plus team started out together in Hong Kong with a Beneteau cruiser racer some ten years or so ago. They graduated to a Ker 46+ and when the opportunity to buy Luna Rossa came up in January 2020 they seized the chance. They started close to the back of the local fleets around Hong Kong and the key Asian regattas but gradually learned and worked their way to become very competitive.
But it was owner Shawn Kang’s long held dream to join the 52 SUPER SERIES and so now, partly inspired by the success and enjoyment of their Thai counterparts on Team Vayu, the Alpha+ team are very much in the mix at every regatta aim to just keep making steps up the leaderboard. They have updated their keel for this season as have many other teams.

2026 sees a strong afterguard with young Kiwi match racer Nick Egnot Johnson on the helm, Ado Stead who joined in the second half of 2025 brings great experience as a past TP52 World Champion and works especially well with navigator Ian Moore who he has sailed with for many years