Sunday 11 December – 1230 hours UTC
Singapore Grand Prix - Act 9
Edmond de Rothschild Group, 2nd in the Extreme Sailing Series 2011
This year ultimate victory just slipped from the grasp of the crew of Edmond
de Rothschild Group. However, Pierre Pennec and his three crew - Christophe
Espagnon, Thierry Fouchier and Hervé Cunningham – certainly don’t have
anything to be ashamed about in their very fine second place given the
fantastic line-up that made up the fleet for this year’s Extreme Sailing
Series and the intensity of this 2011 season. Winners of two Grands Prix
(Oman and Nice) and unquestionably major players on the circuit with five
podium places out of the nine this year, the men of Gitana Team were
outpaced by Max Sirena’s Italian crew but finished ahead of the New
Zealanders skippered by Dean Barker, one of the current reference teams in
the sailing world.
History has repeated itself and just like in 2009 and 2010, the catamaran
fitted out by Baron Benjamin de Rothschild has ranked second in the Extreme
Sailing Series. Having come to Singapore to try to glean this trophy, Pierre
Pennec and his crew, competitors through and through, naturally found it
somewhat difficult to appreciate the true value of the silver medal that
they’ve just given Edmond de Rothschild Group: “Obviously there’s a degree
of disappointment in the way things panned out in this Grand Prix,
especially as we got off to a good start by winning two races on the first
day. However, we weren’t able to retain the same standard throughout the
five days of competition. Our rival, Luna Rossa, raced very well and simply
sailed through the competition, which enabled them to take victory in the
championship. They very much deserve the win. They’ve been very strong,
stronger than us” explained Pierre Pennec.
Though ultimate victory has escaped them, the crew of Edmond de Rothschild
can be satisfied with a very fine result in all the nine legs contested
between the Omani sultanate and southern Asia: “Aside from this latest Grand
Prix and with reference to the season as a whole, I’m satisfied with this
second place. Our adversaries were really formidable and we managed to
achieve some great things together and leave them in our wake several times
over the course of the season. During the nine events we’ve competed in 300
races. The Extreme Sailing Series is a very specific circuit with short
courses set up on some rather atypical race zones at the heart of the
cities: I think the word which best encapsulates it is Intense! For me, this
intensity is on a par with the final race day in the Olympic Games, but here
you get the same sensation everyday and the Grands Prix amount to five days
of races…” recalled the skipper of Gitana Extreme.
Nominated Skipper of the Extreme 40 project at the very start of the season,
Pierre Pennec was competing in his first edition in such a role this year.
Indeed the sailor from La Rochelle, who really gained renowned for his
performance in the Tornado circuit (Olympic catamaran) when competing in the
Sydney Games in 2000, gave us the lowdown on a personal level: “Personally,
this season has taught me a massive amount. I’ve rediscovered the thrills of
helming and I’ve still got a lot more to give. I’d been waiting ten years
for such an opportunity. I was lucky to be at the head of a very strong
crew, as much on a physical and technical level as in human terms: our group
has always worked very well together. This cohesion enables us to excel,
even though that wasn’t enough here. I really want to thank them for their
trust and their work. Naturally, my thanks go above all to Ariane and
Benjamin de Rothschild, who’ve given me an incredible opportunity in
entrusting the helm of their boat to me. They have enabled us to fully live
out our passion.”
After an intense, action-packed season, the Gitana Team will announce the
crew’s 2012 race programme over the coming weeks.
The team speak out
Hervé Cunningham, bowman: “l have a slight taste of déjà vu with this second
place but the 2011 circuit has really been nothing like our previous
participations, both in terms of line-up and the duration of the
competition. During this week of racing in Singapore, we didn’t have the
weapons to battle against Luna Rossa. Our second place in the 2011 standing
rounds off what has been a great sailing season nevertheless.”
Christophe Espagnon, indexsail trimmer: “We are competitors and victory was
within our grasp so of course disappointment is the initial sensation.
However, if we look at the season as a whole, a sense of satisfaction is
what prevails. It has been a very long season, which has required a great
deal of concentration. We’ve certainly lacked consistency, but each event is
unique and has its own special scenario. Our crew has pulled off some great
performances, so although we still have some work to do, I think we’ve
really made great progress.”
Thierry Fouchier, headsail trimmer: “Despite what you might think, we
arrived in Singapore aware of the stakes at play but relatively relaxed. Our
second place has nothing to do with mishandling the pressure. However, we
lacked success and we missed out on a lot of opportunities. Luna Rossa
stepped up to the plate when it counted and deserve ultimate victory. We’re
going to have a debriefing amongst ourselves to understand what we were
lacking and then we’ll very quickly move forward.”
Standing for the Extreme Sailing Series 2011 after nine events
1. Luna Rossa (ITA) – 80 points
2. Edmond de Rothschild Group (FRA) – 73 points
3. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZ) – 69 points
4. The Wave, Muscat (OMA) – 67 points
5. Alinghi (SUI) – 66 points
6. Red Bull Extreme Sailing (AUT) – 61 points
7. Oman Air (OMA) – 53 points
8. Artemis Racing (SWE) – 48 points
9. Team GAC Pindar (GBR) – 303points
10. Team Extreme (EUR) – 21 points
11. Niceforyou (ITA) – 18 points
The crew of Edmond de Rothschild Group
Pierre Pennec (Skipper / helmsman), Christophe Espagnon (indexsail trimmer),
Thierry Fouchier (headsail trimmer), Hervé Cunningham (bowman)
Discover all the latest news from the Gitana Team at
www.gitana-team.com
Translated by Kate Jennings – Expression
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