Cammas feels the pressure

Groupama II wins in Lorient, but regatta goes to the wire

While Franck Cammas and his trimaran Groupama II may have won their fifth Grand Prix in a row this season in the ORMA 60 trimaran class, on this occasion as the final day of racing proved, the situation was far less clear-cut and it was only until the final race that the green team's victory was secured. While she is clearly faster in light to moderate winds, Cammas' tri didn't seem noticably faster in the bigger 15-28 knot conditions experienced this week and on this occasion it was the superiority of the Groupama team's crewwork that came into play. In the bigger winds, the team posted their worst Grand Prix result this year - only winning four of the nine races sailed..!

Conditions this weekend were autumnal - blustery and gusty and despite the greyness this made for an exciting spectacle with the trimarans frequently hitting 30+ knot speeds.

The final day showed the full potential of Pascal Bidegorry's team on Banque Populaire, where match racer Mathieu Richard is tactician and Charles Caudrelier, the 2003 Solitaire du Figaro winner is navigator. Banque Populaire won the first and third of today's races. Unfortunately in the penultimate race they made a tactical error that left them in a wind hole resulting in a fifth place and costing them the regatta. Banque Populaire retains her lead in the 2005 ORMA Championship.

The Grand Prix Cap l’Orient, to give the regatta it's official title, also proved a good one for Baron Rothschild's Gitana XI team, where skipper Fred le Peutrec and his crew were able to post three wins, but were not consistent enough to get beyond third place. Gitana XI, formerly Jean-Luc Nelias' van Peteghem-Prevost designed Belgacom, seems particularly strong in 20+ knot conditions.



The regatta was not a good one for Armel Cléac'h and his Foncia team. They broke a foil on Saturday's coastal race and struck a buoy in another race requiring them to make a penalty turn (no mean feat in a 60 x 60ft boat). The crew started to show some of her potential in the final race today where they finished second ahead of Groupama II. The team's former skipper, now their manager, Alain Gautier says that they still have some technical issues to resolve before they can take on the top teams.

Michel Desjoyeaux's Géant also suffered some technical failure during this regatta when the hydraulics controlling her mast failed on Saturday.

Next up for the teams is November's two handed Transat Jacques Vabre, from Le Havre to Salvador de Bahia.

Provisional results from the Lorient Grand Prix after nine races)

1- Franck Cammas - Groupama-2 (1,2,1,1,1,3,3,2,3) 17 points
2- Pascal Bidégorry - Banque Populaire (2+3+2+2+2+2+1+5+1) 20 points
3- Frédéric Le Peutrec - Gitana 11 (4+1+4+4+4+1+2+1+4) 25 points
4- Armel Le Cléac’h – Foncia (3+4+3+5+5+4+6+4+2) 36 points
5- Michel Desjoyeaux - Géant (6+5+5+3+3+7+4+3+5) 41 points
6- Thierry Duprey du Vorsent - Gitana X (5+6+6+6+6+5+5+6+6) 51 points
Classement provisoire du Championnat des Multicoques :
1-Pascal Bidégorry - Banque Populaire (16 points)
2-Franck Cammas - Groupama-2 (21 points)
3-Michel Desjoyeaux - Géant (27,5 points)
4-Frédéric Le Peutrec - Gitana 11 (27,5 points)
5-Armel Le Cléac’h – Foncia (36 points)
6-Thierry Duprey du Vorsent - Gitana X (47,5 points)