Friday 21 October – 1800 hours
The crew of Edmond de Rothschild Group to team up with ALEPH – Équipe de France in San Diego
Pierre Pennec, Christophe Espagnon and Thierry Fouchier will be sailing
aboard the AC 45 ALEPH – Équipe de France for the third edition of the
America’s Cup World Series, which will take place in San Diego from 12 to 20
November 2011. It’s a fantastic opportunity for these three sailors, who
will have the chance to hone their preparation prior to the grand finale of
the Extreme Sailing Series, which will be contested in Singapore at the
start of December.
Thanks to its performance on the Extreme Sailing Series circuit, the crew of
Edmond de Rothschild Group has shown over many months now that it has the
talent and the skills to vie with today’s greatest multihull sailors. For
this reason ALEPH - Équipe de France, which has been competing in the
preparation races for the 34th America’s Cup, was keen to team up with
Pierre Pennec and his men. Originally, the proposition from those managing
ALEPH - Équipe de France extended to all four members of the crew. However,
ultimately just three of them were able to accept the offer. Indeed, bowman
Hervé Cunningham had to decline due to a lack of availability in his racing
schedule.
Meantime, the reindexder of the crew, are very clear about the challenge that
awaits them and will arrive in San Diego with a great deal of humility. They
are well aware that they have a particularly difficult task ahead of them,
given how much of an edge those teams already present in the AC World Series
have. Today, those same teams are able to helm their fixed wing multihulls
to perfection and they boast all the subtleties synonymous with Match
Racing.
Cyril Dardashti, the General Manager of Gitana Team, was delighted with this
announcement, which perfectly ties in with the objectives of his sports
team: “We have the conviction of a strong team on the Extreme 40 Edmond de
Rothschild Group. The results achieved by Pierre Pennec and his men in the
Extreme Sailing Series have already more than backed up our selection
process. However, the fact that these same sailors have been called up by
ALEPH - Équipe de France further supports our decision. Indeed, the team
managed by Philippe Ligot and competitively guided by Bertrand Pacé were
keen to count our crew among their ranks for the next stage of the AC World
Series. With this request slotting nicely into the Extreme 40 calendar, and
initially aimed at the whole crew, the Gitana Team were anxious to give them
a positive response. It’s a very good opportunity for Pierre, Christophe and
Thierry. It will enable them to discover a craft, whose fixed wing has great
appeal. Above all though, this multihull competition enjoys a format which
is relatively similar to the Extreme Sailing Series so it will be an
excellent way for them to stay on the pace and gain even more experience for
Singapore, where the much coveted 2011 title will be decided. In reality,
between the Almeria and Singapore Grands Prix there would be over six weeks
without sailing were they not to take part in the AC World Series in San
Diego. Finally, it’s important to specify that this announcement marks a
purely competitive and non-financial exchange between the Gitana Team and
ALEPH – Équipe de France.”
Philippe Ligot, General Manager of ALEPH – Équipe de France: “As regards the
composition of its team, Bertrand Pacé was keen to flesh out the crew we’ve
been training up for the first two editions of the America’s Cup World
Series by inviting Pierre Pennec, Thierry Fouchier and Christophe Espagnon
to join us for the event in San Diego, which will take place from 12 to 20
November 2011. Thanks to an amicable agreement with Baron Benjamin de
Rothschild and Gitana Team, based on a pragmatic exchange targeting
performance, this initiative ties in with our strategy to construct the best
possible team with which to represent France in the America’s Cup. Pierre,
Thierry and Christophe are both talented and experienced, they’re making
Gitana Team stand out on the Extreme 40 circuit and we are convinced that
they’ll help to strengthen our crew. We’re lying in 6th position in the
overall standing of the ACWS, which is a good result given the competitive
context and the very high level in the America’s Cup. However, we’re hoping
that ALEPH – Équipe de France will further improve its standing with this
latest input of talent, as well as better preparing our project which is
seeking a major partner with whom we can continue with this prestigious
competition.”
Contact Aleph - l'Équipe de France for the 34th America's Cup
Translated by Kate Jennings – Expression
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