Orient Express Racing Team wrap-up Louis Vuitton Preliminary Regatta with a clear view to the main event
Orient Express Racing Team wrap-up Louis Vuitton Preliminary Regatta with a clear view to the main event
Orient Express Racing Team today signed off from the Louis Vuitton Preliminary Regatta after one of the tightest races of the entire event against the British INEOS Britannia team.
In sometimes tricky conditions with light wind spots across the racecourse, the French challengers led on the first leg after the British crossed the start line seconds too early and had to go back, opening the door for the French boat to go in front.
Having opened up a gap Orient Express Racing Team then fell into a light wind spot during a downwind gybe, allowing INEOS Britannia to cross ahead and take a lead they would hold, narrowly at times, until the finish of the race which was shortened by a leg.
For the French team the Louis Vuitton Preliminary Regatta had always been a prized opportunity to gain experience aboard the AC75, given their relative inexperience with the hi-tech yacht compared to their rivals.
And while two of their five races were lost to technical issues — one on their yacht, the other to a steering failure on their opponents NYYC American Magic — the team was able to gain invaluable experience in full-on racing conditions against the teams they will soon face in the Louis Vuitton Cup.
Back on the dock today skipper and pilot Quentin Delapierre said: "We know we have to improve, but we also know a lot more about the pre-start and the start now than we did a few days ago, so we will be really focused on that. We are nearly there, we just have to deliver."
His fellow co-pilot Kevin Peponnet added: "We had a really good fight against the British — today was tricky, it was about finding the breeze and the pressure, rather than any design issue or boat speed. There were a lot of good things that we did, though we made some mistakes at the start. We will be aiming to get more training in over the next few days."
Racing alongside Delapierre and Peponnet in the Louis Vuitton Preliminary Regatta were trimmers Jason Saunders and Matthieu Vandamme, and members of the powerhouse cyclor squad — four in each race — of Timothé Lapauw, Olivier Herlédant, Antoine Nougarède, Germain Chardin, Maxime Guyon, François Pervis, and brothers Rémi and Thibaut Verhoeven.
When the spray settled off Barcelona today after four days of racing, Orient Express Racing Team finished tied with Alinghi Red Bull Racing at the bottom of the table, both on one point.
Emirates Team New Zealand were the overall winners, defeating Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli in the final, with NYYC American Magic third and INEOS fourth, just a point ahead of the French and Swiss teams.
CEO Stephan Kandler said: "This regatta was a great opportunity for Orient Express Racing Team to ramp up and we have seen that all the teams are closer than ever. We made some mistakes but we are improving fast so we have our chance in the Louis Vuitton Cup starting in a few days. We want to thank our fans and guests who came to our base and had a great experience on the water and ashore."
The Louis Vuitton Cup is scheduled to start next Thursday, 29 August, with Orient Express Racing Team racing in the very first Round Robin match against the Swiss team on Alinghi Red Bull Racing.
