Peyron takes the lead

After six races are held at the Trophée Clairefontaine champion of champions race within Port America's Cup

Six out of the nine race at the 19th Trophée Clairefontaine were raced today. The first took place off the beach with the final five within the confines of Marina Real Juan Carlos 1st, otherwise known as Port America's Cup.

Loïck Peyron won the first race, ahead of the American Ed Baird on Alinghi Black. But at the close of play it was the Swiss multihull specialist Luc Dubois on Alinghi Red who holds second place just three points behind Peyron. 30 points remain to be distributed tomorrow during the three final races. French Olympic 470 bronze medallist from Qingdao, Nicolas Charbonnier, is third in the provisional general ranking in front of Spaniard Fernando León, skipper of the TP52 Cam.

"It's like that every year" Loïck Peyron pointed out regarding the closeness of the competition at this Champion of Champions event. "It's always during the last tack of the final race of the Trophée Clairefontaine that the title is won!". Luc Dubois
agreed with this. "Until the final finish line is crossed, the competition is still open … ".

Despite what the results suggest, Fernando León started well on Valencia sailing stadium, by winning two races of the Trophée Clairefontaine with a good margin over Peyron and Charbonnier. The third race saw Alinghi Red to win but with Peyron finishing second and it was the young Frenchman Nicolas Charbonnier who took third.

Luc Dubois won again in the fourth race, just ahead of French match racer Claire
Leroy, but with the crowd gathered along the quayside fully behind her. In fact, the public even booed the winner feeling that Claire Leroy and her all-female crew deserved this victory!

In the fifth race, Peyron once again reminded everybody who the boss is here in Valencia - so far. However, his advantage began to melt away during the last race of the day, with Dubois taking victory and Loïck Peyron finished a lowly fifth.

Tomorrow, the three final races are scheduled. After that, Rita Barberá Nollá, Mayor of Valencia, will present the cups to the winners with Jean-Marie Nusse, President of the Papeteries Clairefontaine (Clairefontaine Stationary).

Provisional overall results:
1- Loïck Peyron (FRA.), 44 pts (1,2,2,5,1,5)
2- Luc Dubois (Alinghi Red - SUI.), 41 pts (6,6,1,1,4,1)
3- Nicolas Charbonnier (FRA.), 33 pts (3,3,3,8,2,3)
4- Ed Baird (Alinghi Black - USA), 26 pts (2,5,8,3,5,6)
5- Fernando León (ESP), 26 pts (7,1,5,6,3,8)
6- Michel Desjoyeaux (FRA.), 24 pts (4,4,4,7,7,4)
7- Jean-Pierre Dick (FRA), 23 pts (5,8,7,4,6,2)
8- Claire Leroy (FRA), 17 pts (8,7,6,2,8,7)