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Berichte von der Cowes Week 2009
Press Release No.54
Tuesday 28th July 2009 – 1330 hrs UT
Extreme 40 Circuit
Gitana Extreme - LCF Rothschild Group takes to English waters
The Extreme 40’ crews competing in the 2009 circuit have had a few weeks
respite since the racing in Hyères, which saw Pete Cumming and his men
dominate, and the time is now ripe for the third stage in the series. Indeed
the Cowes Grand Prix will take place on the famous waters of the Solent from
1st to 3rd August. For the crew of Gitana Extreme- LCF Rothschild Group,
currently sharing second place in the provisional general ranking with the
crew of Masirah, training is getting underway this Tuesday.
For the third confrontation of the 2009 Extreme 40 season, the organisers
have opted for some prestigious surroundings as the backdrop. For three days
the nine competing crews – following BMW Oracle’s withdrawal (see below) –
will race across the waters of the Solent, which is the stretch of sea
separating the Isle of Wight from the British indexland. This year, the races
will be disputed just a stone’s throw from the legendary Royal Yacht
Squadron. As such it is a unique race zone, which is ideally situated to
enable spectators crowded around the Cowes esplanade to feel right in the
thick of the action during racing. This sensation will be further heightened
by the fact that this English stage is being held during “Cowes Week”, the
oldest sailing regatta in the world. Considered here and elsewhere as an
institution, Cowes Week gathers together over a thousand yachts, so both
spectacle and extravaganza are guaranteed.
“The dream team” together again!
Winners of the opening event held in Venice in mid May, and fourth in the
French stage of the circuit at the start of July, Yann Guichard and his
three crew have begun their on-the-water reconnaissance this Tuesday 28th
July. The Cowes Grand Prix marks the return of Hervé Cunningham to the
Gitana Team. Temporarily and brilliantly replaced by Simeon Tienpont during
racing in France’s Var region, Hervé has regained his position as trimmer
alongside Christophe Lassègue. In short, the crew which stood out in the
Venetian lagoon is back and will doubtless try to put in a repeat
performance of its first place in Italy.
The absent few for the 3rd meeting
A few days ago the BMW Oracle one-design, helmed by James Spithill,
announced their withdrawal from the Cowes Grand Prix. The men from the
American challenge have been retained on the other side of the Atlantic for
the fine tuning of the trimaran upon which they’ll be competing in the 33rd
America’s Cup in six months’ time. Their absence is lamented by the skipper
of Gitana Extreme – LCF Rothschild Group: “It is regrettable that an
adversary of the calibre of Oracle has withdrawn. The higher the level, the
more sizeable the competition and the more exciting the races… We hope that
James Spithill and his men will quickly return to the iShares Cup” said Yann
Guichard, who had just arrived on the Isle of Wight, before casting his mind
to the upcoming races: “Despite all that, the battle promises to be
interesting as the race zone proposed for this season’s third meeting will
be hard going for us again. We’re going to have to deal with the currents
and specifics of the Solent, so it’ll be a whole new ball game. My crew and
I are keen to hit the start line on Saturday afternoon.”
Finally, as was the case in Venice, and if the weather conditions pan out in
the North Atlantic, the helm of Groupama 40 will be entrusted to Gildas
Philippe. The reasons for this are that the title skipper of the Extreme 40’
announced this morning that his maxi-trimaran has switched to code green,
which means that their departure is imminent in their attempt to improve on
their Transatlantic Record crossing. It’s a prestigious reference time which
Yann Guichard is one of the rare few to have earned the title of on two
separate occasions; first off as one of the crew to Bruno Peyron in 2005
then with Franck Cammas in 2006.
The kick-off for this 3rd event will take place early afternoon on Saturday
1st August and racing will draw to a close on Monday.
Crew of Gitana Extreme - LCF Rothschild Group
Yann Guichard (skipper-helm)
Pierre Pennec (indexsail traveller trimmer, tactics), Christophe Lassegue
(headsail trimmer, control of manœuvres) and Hervé Cunningham (headsail
trimmer, control of manœuvres)
Provisional Championship Ranking (after two events)
1/ BMW Oracle – 18 points (2nd, 2nd)
2/ Oman Sail Masirah – 17 points (4th, 1st)
2/ Gitana Extreme- LCF Rothschild Group – 17 points (1st, 4th)
4/Oman Sail Renaissance – 16 points (3rd, 3rd)
5/ Groupama 40 – 12 points (5th, 5th)
6/ BT – 10 points (6th, 6th)
7/ iShares – 6 points (9th, 7th)
8/ Luna – 6 points (7th, 9th)
9/ Holmatro – 6 points (8th, 8th)
10/ Ecover – 2 points (10th, 10th)
Find all the latest news on Gitana Team and the results of Gitana Extreme at
www.gitana-team.com
Rights free photos for press use are available on request
Translated by Kate Jennings – Expression
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