25.02.2010
THE NORMANDY CHANNEL RACE: A NEW OFFSHORE CHALLENGE FOR THE CLASS 40 AND FOR
NORMANDY.
The year 2010 will see the creation in Normandy of an ambitious new offshore
racing event, setting out from and returning to the French town of Caen.
Sirius Evénements, with the full backing of the institutional and sporting
environment, is launching the 1st edition of the NORMANDY CHALLENGE RACE
from 13th to 23rd May 2010. The start of this 1,000 mile double-handed race
on Sunday 16th May will take the skippers around the coasts of Normandy,
England, Ireland and Brittany. (See course on the next page).
A BOOMING CLASS
Today the Class 40 is one of the fastest developing international offshore
racing categories and already boasts nearly a hundred craft. Initially
devised to enable amateur skippers to gain access to offshore racing, it is
attracting an increasing number of professional skippers.
Midway between the Figaro Beneteau and the 60 footers of the Vendée Globe,
the series is progressively building up its programme and the transatlantic
launched in 2009 – the Solidaire du Chocolat – proved extremely successful
both in sporting and media terms. The 40 foot monohulls, (12.20 m) which
form the Class 40, enable a versatile programme with a dual oceanic and
coastal vocation.
A HIGHLY DEMANDING AND SELECTIVE COURSE
This highly demanding course through some complicated navigation zones will
give free rein to any number of tactical games at what is sure to be a very
fast pace. Indeed the course spans some magnificent sea areas and an
extremely varied course, half of which is raced in coastal zones whilst the
other half is offshore in the English Channel, the Celtic Sea and the Irish
Sea.
Further challenges come with the marks which have to be rounded off the Isle
of Wight, the Irish lighthouses of Tuskar Rock and the more famous Fastnet
Rock, the Anglo-Norman islands of Raz Blanchard and the Pointe de Barfleur,
among others.
Race Management will be provided by Sylvie Viant, race director for all the
big races for countless years, including the Vendée Globe, Route du Rhum and
Jacques Vabre.
AN INTERNATIONAL EVENT
Due to its positioning, the race is particularly aimed at French crews from
the channel, those from the Atlantic basin lured by adventure, as well as
British, Belgian, Dutch and also German crews.
Indeed around fifteen Class 40s regularly sail in British waters, the
majority of which are based in the Solent, just a few hours sailing from
Normandy. As a result the event is intended to gather together all these
protagonists in the same nautical basin.
Finally with the course split between French, English and Irish waters, the
majority of the route is reminiscent of the course taken in the famous
Fastnet Race.
A 10-YEAR EVENT PROGRAMME IN CAEN
With the Class 40 setting themselves up in the Bassin Saint-Pierre in Caen’s
town centre, everything will be within close proximity: from the
installation of a marquee village along the quay from Wednesday 12th to
Sunday 16th May, to an impressive programme of entertainment, a seaborne
prologue on Saturday 15th May, an official soirée that same day, a
procession along the Canal de Caen to the sea prior to the start on Sunday
16th May and the prize-giving in Caen on Sunday 23rd May.
The website, with satellite positioning of the boats, will enable spectators
to closely track the race and daily radio link-ups will be organised with
the skippers.
A NEW EVENT TO UNITE NAUTICAL ENERGIES
Normandy already accommodates an active fleet of Class 40s with its skippers
participating in many of the big races. These include Marc Lepesqueux, who
sports the colours of the Agglomération Caen la Mer, and Tanguy de Lamotte,
recent winner of La Solidaire du Chocolat, whose sponsor Karver Systems is
based in Honfleur. Additional Class 40s are also based in nearby Cherbourg
and Dieppe.
Furthermore, the Caen based V1D2 yard, managed by Marc Lefebvre, has built
up a reputation over the past few years in the preparation of 40 and 60 foot
racing boats.
The great institutional protagonists have been brought in to support the
project: the Town of Caen, the Lower-Normandy Region, the Calvados District
and the Caen la Mer Agglomeration; as well as protagonists from the nautical
network on a sporting and economic level: Société des Régates de
Caen-Ouistreham (SRCO – Caen-Ouistreham Racing Society), Ligue
Basse-Normandie de la FFVoile (Lower Normandy League of the French Sailing
Federation), the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Caen and the federation
of professionals from Lower Normandy concerned with F2N watersports.
Contacts
SIRIUS EVENEMENTS - 93 Boulevard Exelmans – 75016 PARIS
Tel: +33 (0)1 46 51 09 47 / sirius.evenements@club-internet.fr
Temporary website: www.normandy-race.com
(the definitive website due to be up and running next week at the same
address) /Class 40 website www.class40.org
The SIRIUS EVENEMENTS company is specialised in nautical events and its
teams have created, organised and hosted numerous events in France and
Europe over the past 12 years (Tour de France à la Voile, Deauville
International Week, Medcup, BMW Sailing Cup…..)
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