Tagesberichte siehe Menu unten
Press release No.3
Tuesday 12 April – 1330 hours GMT
Extreme Sailing Series 2011
Qingdao Grand Prix (China) – Act 2
Edmond de Rothschild Group in its rivals’ sights
A month and a half after the Oman Grand Prix, which saw the men of Edmond de
Rothschild Group brilliantly dominate the inaugural event of the 2011
season, the eleven Extreme Sailing Series crews are back together in China
for the second act of the circuit. It’s in Qingdao, a city in the Shandong
province, on the shores of the Yellow Sea to the SE of Beijing, that racing
will start tomorrow, Wednesday 13 April. Pierre Pennec’s men, who opened the
scoring in Oman, will be under close scrutiny from their adversaries during
the five days of racing involved in the Chinese Grand Prix. However, the
sailors of Gitana Team aren’t afraid of pressure and are keen for battle to
commence.
The radiant smiles of Pierre Pennec’s men at the end of the Oman Grand Prix
aren’t so faraway… however, the four racers aren’t the type to rest on their
laurels and the crew quickly got back down to work with their minds focused
on the second of the season’s meetings. At the end of March, they got
together for a few days of studious training offshore of Lorient, aboard an
Extreme 40 hired for the occasion. The skipper of the 40 foot Gitana
explained the benefits of such a working session: “It was really very
important to be able to sail together on the craft before heading out to
China, especially as some of us race on other types of boats between each
event so you have to get your bearings again! During these four days, we
were able to get back into the swing of things with the Extreme 40,
familiarise ourselves with the sensations again and sail in some breezy
conditions (steady wind), the likes of which we’ve seldom encountered thus
far, and that got rid of any apprehension we had about such conditions. Our
discussions and our working sessions indexly focused on boat speed according
to the chosen conditions and situations, performing manœuvres and selecting
the boat’s trim.”
Christophe Espagnon, from the Olympic Games to the Extreme Sailing Series
For several years, Qingdao has been considered to be ‘the’ Chinese sailing
city, a reputation it owes to the fact that its waters played host to the
sailing events during the Beijing Olympic Games. Christophe Espagnon, who
fulfils the role of indexsail trimmer and advises Pierre Pennec in the
tactics for the catamaran fitted out by Baron Benjamin de Rothschild, is
familiar with the Chinese race zone. Representing France in the Tornado
during the Olympic Games 2008, the native of La Rochelle travelled to the
site five times for training sessions which lasted over three weeks. “I’m
pretty happy to be back in Qingdao. The Extreme 40s are moored in the
Olympic port and that naturally brings back a lot of memories for me. It’s
obvious that, on a personal level, I’ve come here with less pressure on my
shoulders than during my last event in the Games. However, as a group we
have objectives and a great desire to regain the same sensations and even
the same results as we had during the Muscat Grand Prix,” admitted
Christophe. “After several training sessions here in the Tornado and a
preparation which was specific to the characteristics of this race site, I
think I can say that I have a sound knowledge of the Qingdao race zone.
However, I’ve never come here in April before. With the Olympic Games being
held in the summer, our index focus at the time was on that period. As such
there will be an element of discovery… I’m not the only one who is familiar
with Qingdao though…” Indeed, among the sailors racing on the Extreme 40
circuit this year, we have fellow Tornado specialists, who have also
represented their countries during the Olympic Games in China. These include
Roman Hagara, skipper of Red Bull and double gold medallist, as well as
Sebbe Godfroid and Glen Ashby, who respectively sail with Team Extreme and
Emirates Team New Zealand.
Arriving in China at the end of last week, the crew have been able to
acclimatise to conditions on site and above all erase the fatigue of the six
hour time difference separating France and Qingdao. In line with the
regulations for the Extreme Sailing Series, Pierre, Hervé, Thierry and
Christophe have been getting in some practice on the race zone since
yesterday, which amounts to a total of two days to get their bearings before
things start to “get serious”. Indeed they are very much aware that it’s not
going to be easy in China. Already, in Oman, the level proved to be
extremely similar and it was necessary to wait until the last race on the
last day before it was possible to decide between the top three boats. We
can wager that their adversaries will also have made the most of the few
weeks’ break between the two events to train and further raise their game.
As such the races promise to be closely contested, which perfectly suits the
temperament of the sailors on Edmond de Rothschild Group.
Ranking for the Extreme Sailing Series 2011 after the Muscat Grand Prix
1. Edmond de Rothschild Group (FRA) – 11 points
2. Artemis Racing (SWE) – 10 points
3. Red Bull Extreme Sailing (AUT) – 9 points
4. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZ) – 8 points
5. Luna Rossa (ITA) – 7 points
6. Alinghi (SUI) – 6 points
7. The Wave, Muscat (OMA) – 5 points
8. Oman Air (OMA) – 4 points
9. Team Extreme (EUR) – 3 points
10. Niceforyou (ITA) – 2 points
11. Team GAC Pindar (GBR) – 1 point
The crew of Edmond de Rothschild Group
Pierre Pennec - Helmsman, skipper
Christophe Espagnon – indexsail trimmer, tactics
Thierry Fouchier – headsail trimmer
Hervé Cunningham - Bowman
The Extreme Edmond de Rothschild Group supports the Joves Navegants
foundation
The family of Baron Benjamin de Rothschild has always had a passion for
nautical activities, a commitment embodied today by the Gitana Team. As such
the Edmond de Rothschild Foundations have quite naturally been sensitive to
the mission of Joves Navegants and touched by the profound collective
commitment to helping these young people in precarious situations.
Inspired by the methods of British Sailing associations, which help young
people in difficulty, some enthusiastic sailors who have settled in Palma,
Mallorca, decided to create Joves Navegants. Aware of the complicated
situation for certain youngsters on the island in serious economic and
family difficulties, they have chosen to share their passion. The foundation
organises several types of trips out to sea on the yacht, Galaxie. These
days out involve journeys of discovery, awareness campaigns for sustainable
development, participation in races and training aids to enable certain
youngsters to envisage sailing as a professional career.
The Edmond de Rothschild Foundation will be supporting Joves Navegants in
the organisation of trips out to sea during the summer, enabling the
necessary technical improvements to be made on the Galaxie and making it
possible for a team to take part in the “Ruta de la Sal” race in April.
For further information:
www.jovesnavegants.org
www.ebdrf.com
Discover all the latest news from the Gitana Team at
www.gitana-team.com
Translated by Kate Jennings – Expression
|
