The man to beat

In the build up to the start of the Solitaire du Figaro we speak to 2001 winner Eric Drouglazet

The first prologue event for this year's Solitaire du Figaro kicks off tomorrow in Boulogne-sur-Mer. Among the fleet of 38 boats, the man to beat is last year's winner Eric Drouglazet sailing David Olivier.

"Eric [Droglaazet] is surprising. He is relaxed. He has always got the same fierceness. Last year, he rounded a cape, he stopped being Mr Nice Guy of the race. He's now even more dangerous." These remarks from Sébastien Josse, who finished second in last year's Solitaire du Figaro, are revealing. The motivatioins of the 2001 winner haven't changed one iota and it is with an inalterable craving to win that he lines up at the start of his tenth singlehanded Figaro race, defending his title, racec favourte and attempting the double win while his opponents can think of nothing else than beating him!

Since the inception of the Solitaire du Figaro, only one repeat win in consecutive years has ever happened. has been carried off two years running. In 1975-1976, Guy Cornou managed two victories, one after the other in the 'Course de l'Aurore' as the event was then known, at the helm of his wooden half tonner Jabadao. Philippe Poupon and Jean Le Cam remain the holders of the greatest number of victories - each with three wins - but a repeat win in consecutive years has never happened since.

So will a second victory be as difficult as the first? "Without doubt. In the Single-handed Figaro, you must stop yourself from shouting victory too soon above all else," says Drouglazet. "Already, to finish on the podium is something very hard to do. I always knew I could win, but it is absolutely essential to also get a nudge in the direction of success thoughout the four legs. That remains highly perilous."

Despite there being few of the tradition rock stars taking part this year there is a considerable number of young skippers taking part showing equal talent and Drouglazet rates many of them. "As ever, there are lots of candidates. I place them first of all, among those who hotly contested Générali Méditerranée (the recent Figaro class race in the Med), which served as a rehearsal to the Solitaire. Of course there is the winner, Jérémie Beyou, who has stepped up the pace of late.

"I also have to be careful of Charles Caudrelier-Benac, who could do a lot of damage if he wins regularly. But these aren't the only ones and a lot of the entrants could prove dangerous if the weather conditions become uncertain. You can battle with someone for a very long time and lose everything in minutes if the wind drops off. That is just one example of a lack of success and it can make irrevocable gaps in the time rankings," he continues.

Dourglazet says he would prefer brisker conditions. "The more the wind blows, the better it is for me ... that's for sure! I know how to go fast for longer and I feel much more at ease when I have to keep the rhythm in a sustained breeze. It's a question of temperament!

"It's always the weather that will decide which sauce it wants to eat us with. I think the first leg could reveal itself to be very complicated... or very simple. If we can get into the middle of the southern sector, there shouldn't be too many problems. On the otherhand if we take the rather lighter westerly route, with the simultaneous turns in the tide : it'll be more risky. The arrival at Gijon always scares me too. Up until now we've always been lucky enough to reach land with the wind. But if we have light winds this year, it could turn into a catastrophe for a lot of us."