You could say Markus Törnqvist was born into the 44Cup. Son of Artemis Racing’s Torbjörn Törnqvist, Markus has grown up as part of the high-performance, owner-driver circuit. He’s been around the RC44 fleet since he was a kid—and now, finally, he's at the wheel.
This week in Porto Cervo, the teenage Swede makes his debut as driver of the newly launched GeMera, the latest entry into the revitalised 11-boat 44Cup fleet in arguably the tightest owner-driver regatta series in the sport—and Markus is keen to make his mark as a skipper.
“I’ve gone from sitting at the back of the boat to trimming in the middle,” Markus says. “Now I’m driving. So we’ll see where it takes me.”
Where it takes him will depend a lot on how fast this brand-new team can get up to speed. GeMera’s crew list reads like a who’s-who of Grand Prix sailing: Francesco Bruni on tactics, Kyle Langford on mainsheet, and Olympic match racer David Gilmour trimming headsails, along with Neil Hunter (grinder), Nick Hutton (bowman), Kinley Fowler (pitman) —veterans of America’s Cup and SailGP campaigns. The learning curve for Markus is steep, but he’s certainly surrounded by experience.
Bruni, fresh from helming duties with Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, is helping Markus unlock the subtleties of the RC44. “Markus did very well on his first day,” Bruni says. “We’ve got low expectations for now, just because everything is so new, but I have a good feeling about the future.”
As any seasoned RC44 skipper will tell you, getting the most out of the boat takes time. The last two new boats—Chris Bake’s Team Aqua and John Bassadone’s Peninsula Racing—needed a few events to find their groove. Markus knows the score. “Our expectations are low, but it’s great fun to be out there with a great team, great people, and great boats,” he says.
The GeMera project has been in the works for some time. With the America’s Cup cycle winding down, Artemis team manager Sarah Gundersen helped slot together a world-class crew just as top sailors became available.
There’s also a pipeline element to all this: two young Swedish sailors—Hugo Christenson and Ida Svensson—bring fresh energy to the crew after stints with the Artemis Academy. Both sailed in last year’s Youth and Women’s America’s Cup events in Barcelona, and both now get their shot at the big leagues.
But make no mistake—there’s a competitive spark here, especially with father and son now racing against each other in earnest. “There will be a few shouts here and there,” Markus laughs. “There’s definitely some competition between us.”
As for the name GeMera—yes, it’s also a 1700-horsepower Swedish supercar—but that’s not the inspiration. In Swedish, “Ge Mera” means “give more,” and that, says Markus, is the team’s mantra. “It’s motivation on board for the rainy days.”
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