Bourgnon to join K-Challenge

Trimaran legend to bring managerial skill to America's Cup campaign

Laurent Bourgnon, the famous Franco-Swiss sailor, who will tomorrow set sail in the Transat Jacques Vabre with Philippe Monnet on board the Sopra Group trimaran, is to join the K-Challenge management team.

Stephan Kandler, K-Challenge General Manager: "We wanted to have someone apart from the America’s Cup world who could bring an external point of view for the technical work, but also someone with the required charisma to mobilise the teams in the syndicate. Laurent Bourgnon also has some successful work experiences with the Anglo-Saxons. He has helped Sir Peter Blake while he was preparing ENZA for the Jules Verne Trophy and he is now working with Ellen MacArthur on her new multihull."

Laurent Bourgnon will join in the K-Challenge management team that now includes:
Technical Manager : John Cutler (New-Zealand, four America’s Cup with one Louis Vuitton Cup final with Oracle BMW Racing Team, Finn Olympic medallist in 1988)
Main Architect : Phil Kaiko (USA, five AC with one victory in 92, and AC 2003 with OneWorld, semi-finalist in the Louis Vuitton Cup),
Team Manager : Dawn Riley (USA, three ACs with one victory, two Whitbread round the world races)
Thierry Peponnet, skipper, (two America’s Cup with one semi-final in the Louis Vuitton Cup in 2000, two time 470 Olympic medallist, with a gold medal in 1988 in Seoul),
Stephan Kandler.

The general agreement between Bourgnon and K-Challenge was set up last Friday in Le Havre.

Aside from the management team K-Challenge also includes key personnel such as: Fabrice Blondel (two America’s Cup with French challenges in 2000 and 2002),
Romain Trouble (two America’s Cup with French challenges in 2000 and 2002),
Benoit Briand (three America’s Cup with French challenges),
Thierry Fouchier (2000 French America’s Cup challenge),
Albert JACOBSOONE (has taken part in every America’s Cup campaign since 1983 with French teams until Prada in 2003)

The K-Challenge also includes young sailing talent from the Olympic such as 21 year old Nicolas Charbonnier, who, aged 21, has held five world champion titles and two European titles in the 470 and 420 dinghies).