Press Release No.2 – 3rd March 2010
NORMANDY CHANNEL RACE:
WEBSITE NOW ONLINE WITH THE SKIPPERS’ VIEWS ON THE
EVENT.
The event website is live from today, complete with the possibility of
registering online. Those in charge of the Class 40 and the skippers
preparing for the race, share their views on the event below (registered in
the official Class 40 2010 race schedule – coefficient 2).
“A new course ideally positioned in the racing calendar with a race format
in phase with the expectations of the Class 40, the Normandy Channel Race
will see the crews thwarting the numerous pitfalls dotted about the English
Channel and the Irish Sea.
All those participating in the event will have the chance to discover
intense racing, with everyone jockeying for position, and the outright
winner will be the hardiest, most tenacious and most savvy crews in terms of
weather and navigation"
Jacques Fournier - President of the Class 40
“The Normandy Channel Race is a race which lies entirely within the scope of
the Class 40’s philosophy.
This is due on the one hand to the distance of its 1,000 mile course, which
the Class 40 have a particular fondness for, and on the other the sporting
and technical aspect of the race. The race will set out from Caen, sailing
by the Anglo-Norman islands bound for the Fastnet, across St Georges
Channel, before coming back towards Wolf Rock and finishing back in Caen.
The Normandy Channel Race is a double-handed competition, where we’re likely
to find numerous Figaro sailors who are familiar with these waters. Within
this context we haven’t had many problems fitting the latter into what is
already a very extensive 2010 race schedule for the Class 40, but this has
been assisted by the organiser of the 1,000 milles race, Brittany Ferries,
withdrawing its support.
We should find that the Normandy Channel Race becomes a Class 40 classic
over the coming years and we hope to be able to make the most of this new
experience to develop it in other basins.”
Thierry Bouchard – head of the Class 40 Events Committee
“The course of the Normandy Channel Race is a concentrated mixture of famous
courses, which have formed part of the legend that is Offshore Racing...
because ultimately it all started in this famous “Channel” (La Manche for
the French) a very long time ago.
At a given point along the course, those competing in the Normandy Channel
Race are bound to find a stage which reminds them of a past race. Whether
it’s a good old RORC race, a Cross-Channel, a Fastnet, a Solitaire du
Figaro, a Tour de France a la Voile...
What’s original about the course is that it combines all the good bits in a
single race.
The Channel has witnessed a number of races and it needed its ‘own’ event to
pay homage to the waters which opened the gateways to the World to us. I
hope that in a few decades time, we’ll speak of the Normandy Channel Race as
fondly as we do of its big sisters, and that the wake we trace in 2010 will
be followed for all time.”
Halvard Mabire – also see the detailed presentation of the course by Halvard
Mabire on the website.
“I’ve only just got back from Miami where our boat is being delivered back
to Europe. I’m eager to prepare for the coming season, with a view to taking
part in the Route du Rhum. Above all though I’m keen to make the start of
the Normandy Channel Race, which will be most important meeting in my
preparation phase after my solo qualifier between the Azores and Caen in
March. This new race fits perfectly into the Class 40 race schedule and will
enable the Anglo-Saxon boats and those from the Atlantic coast to race
together. As an adopted Norman, I’ll be taking part with my sights firmly on
a podium place.”
Tanguy De Lamotte
“It is great that the Normandy Race has been organised. It is a major event
at exactly the right time in our race calendar, at the beginning of our
racing season. The course is close by, rather like a Fastnet, plus all the
intricacies that involves.
Co-skipper Jon McColl and I gained line honours in the Biscay Challenge Race
last year (taking home the much coveted pressure cooker prize) and we are
looking forward to stepping up the pace against the top Class 40 crews in
this event. Any kitchenware available amongst the trophies?"
Andrew Dawson
“The Normandy Channel Race
sets out from Caen, which I’m delighted about
because I’m backed by Caen la Mer. That’s not the only reason I want to
participate and support the race though. The course is very interesting in
tactical terms and it fits nicely into a spare slot in the Class 40’s race
schedule. As such it has a big appeal for skippers. This year, it’s taking
place a few months before the Route du Rhum. It’ll be a very good trial run
for both the racers and the launch of this race which, I hope, is here for
the duration.”
Marc Lepesqueux
“The Normandy Channel Race will be the only offshore race in the 2010
schedule which will enable the skippers to prepare for the Route du Rhum.
The fact that it is raced in double-handed configuration is an added bonus
because, by its very nature, the pace of this type of event is
systematically high.
The course is sure to have a great deal of jockeying for position as the
compulsory passage marks: the Needles, Land's End, Tuskar and Fastnet, are
all tricky sections.
Finally, as a native of Dieppe in Normandy, I’m delighted that a Norman port
is playing host to this race.”
Christophe Coatnoan
Translated by Kate Jennings – Expression
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