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Press release No.5 / 2011 – 19 January 2011
INITIAL ENTRIES FOR THE 2nd EDITION OF THE NORMANDY CHANNEL RACE.
The Normandy Channel Race 2011, whose start will take place on 22 May 2011
in Caen / Hermanville, has already signed up its first participants. Eight
competitors have already formally registered, which bodes well for the
ultimate line-up, considering that there were a total of ten competitors in
the first edition.
The initial entries who have signed up for this human adventure boast a
50/50 split of international and French crews. Among the host of Class 40
projects are a mixture of well-honed, highly experienced crews with numerous
oceanic races under their belts, and newcomers, keen to discover the race,
who can rely on the support of the more seasoned sailors of the circuit.
With the course being both varied and rich, the race is synonymous with the
Class 40 trademark.
Among the latest inscriptions, three have already signed up for the next
GLOBAL OCEAN RACE, which is a Class 40 round the world event with stopovers,
which will set out from Majorca on 25 September 2011. Within the framework
of the partnership between the two races, participation in the Normandy
Channel Race encompasses the bulk of the qualification phase for the oceanic
event.
Among the international crews are skippers from the UK, Germany and Holland,
which confirms the standing of the Normandy Channel Race as the major annual
meeting for the Class40 in the English Channel and the North Sea.
At 71 years of age, Dutch skipper Nico Budel (BUME.BV) will unquestionably
be the most senior participant in the race. An experienced sailor, he took
part in the Portimao Global Ocean Race in 2008 / 2009; a Class 40 round the
world event, which he was forced to retire from in the middle of the Indian
Ocean due to keel problems. However, this won’t stop him taking the start of
the next Global Ocean Race aboard his Akilaria design Class 40 (No.44),
which took victory in the previous race.
Mathias Blumencron (RED), a German skipper living in Hamburg, has been a
familiar face on the European Class 40 circuit for a few years; including
the Fastnet in 2009 and the Class 40 World Championship in Spain in 2010
where he came 7th. His Class 40 (No.66) is an Owen Clarke Design.
Axel Strauss (TZU HANG) is fellow German skipper who lives in Switzerland,
as well as being an adopted Norman thanks to his Class 40 being based in
Caen, where he benefits from the services of the excellent V1D2 yard. Axel
has just enjoyed a successful Route du Rhum, where he finished in 13th place
after a hard-fought Atlantic battle, and he has also taken part in the
majority of the circuit’s races over recent years (Fastnet, 1,000 milles
Brittany Ferries and Les Sables / Horta ). He sails an Akilaria, number 53.
Meantime Stuart Dodd (LIVEWIRE) represents what is likely to be the first of
many in the UK fleet. His Class 40 number 48 is an Owen Clarke Design
Express 40, whose major focus in 2010 was the Shetland Round Britain and
Ireland Race.
Continuing the event’s links with the UK, the Franco-British team Halvard
Mabire / Miranda Merron is a fabulous illustration of the Anglo-Norman
character of the race. The duo boasts two very sizeable track records in
ocean racing. They will be sailing aboard a latest generation Class 40 – a
Pogo 40 S2 No.101 – largely built with their own hands. The ultimate aim of
the project is to participate in the Global Ocean Race, which is a testimony
to the calibre of those applying to take part in this Normandy Channel Race
2011. Indeed Halvard Mabire narrowly missed out on victory in the first
edition of the race, just 15‘ astern of the frontrunner, a certain Thomas
Ruyant, winner of the last Route du Rhum.
Jean-Edouard Criquioche and Jacques Fournier (GROUPE PICOTY), highly
enlightened amateurs of the Class 40, have amassed countless miles over
recent years spent racing on the Class 40 circuit, as well as forming part
of the Class’ management team on shore. Some of their most significant
performances include the Route du Rhum, which saw Jean-Edouard score a
fantastic 7th place back in the autumn and the double-handed Solidaire du
Chocolat which saw them take 8th place. In fact, they have taken part in the
vast majority of the events on the Class 40 circuit and their brand new Pogo
40S2 (No.85) should enable them to further assuage their ambition in the
next Global Ocean Race, for which they have already signed up.
Damien Seguin (DES PIEDS ET DES indexS ) is already a well-known figure in
French ocean racing, where he is a first-class representative for disability
sports, as well as being a strong performer in able-bodied races. A gold
medallist in the Olympic Games in Athens and a silver medallist in Beijing
in disability sport, he has raced on numerous craft like the Figaro Beneteau
(Solitaire du Figaro and Transat AG2R 2006) and the Farr 30 (Tour de France
à la Voile 2008) before making the switch to the Class 40. In the latter
series he has already been at the front of the fleet in several
transatlantic races (4th Solidaire du Chocolat 2009 – 10th Route du Rhum
2010) and will be sailing his Class 40 No.52 (Rogers yacht design) in the
Normandy Channel Race.
Finally, Matthieu Galland and Mathis Prochasson are the first of the latest
crop of newcomers to the Class 40. After several seasons in the Mini 6.50
and a ranking in the top spots in the Mini Transat 2009 (Transat
Charente-Maritime / Bahia ), respectively 9th and 5th in the series’
ranking, these two young skippers will be sailing on the ex-Ocean Eleven
owned by Jacques Fournier and Jean-Edouard Criquioche, which is a Pogo 40
No.20.
In light of this already tempting competitive line-up, we look forward to
confirmation of the numerous intentions to participate in this demanding new
race.
To register: visit the website www.normandy-race.com, where the latest
deadline for registration is 15 March 2011.
YOU CAN ALSO JOIN THE NORMANDY CHANNEL RACE ON FACEBOOK
Contact
SIRIUS EVENEMENTS - 93 Boulevard Exelmans – 75016 PARIS - Tel: 00 (33) 1 46
51 09 47
sirius.evenements@club-internet.fr Website: www.normandy-race.com
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Translated by Kate Jennings – Expression
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