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2007/05/20 - 17h55
Groupama 2 wins AS Lease, Cammas sets the tone for a successful season
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| AS Lease Challenge multihull Trophy |
| By winning the offshore race last Thursday, as well as four of the five rounds disputed this weekend in the Multihull Trophy
in Lorient, Groupama 2 wins the AS Lease Challenge, opening event of the 2007 ORMA circuit. Groupama 2 is ahead of Gitana
11 and Banque Populaire, which though 2d in the Trophy, retired in the offshore race. Equally at ease on the offshore and
coastal regattas, Franck Cammas and his crew set the tone for a successful season.
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Winners between Lorient - La Coruña - The Fastnet - Lorient at the beginning of the week, Franck Cammas and the crew of
Groupama 2 this weekend add the Multihull Trophy to their "record hunt-bag". Two satisfying consecutive victories for the
Groupama trimarans' skipper : « It has been a great week ! First of all, I am happy with the teamwork accomplished
- behind every race lies a good team. Bruno Laurent and the boat's preparators, then, during the regattas, the sailors. For
this first race of the season, everything had to be re-arranged...There were many changes in the crew, be it offshore, or
on the Trophy this weekend, and we were eight on board for the first time. We had to find our feet again, reflex actions for
sequencing manoeuvres... But everything went really well !"
Franck reiterates his praise for Groupama
2 : "Since it was launched in 2004, the team has done a great job during the different refits. Groupama 2 is a well-prepared
and finished boat. We know it is versatile and this victory in the AS Lease confirms it. But we must not think that all is
achieved, it as a never-ending job, a constant fine-tuning... I feel that compared to last year, we have made good progress
in light winds !".
Happy to find a lively atmosphere on the water, Franck was telling us about his best "enemy"
for the beginning of this season, Pascal Bidégorry : « They had to retire on the offshore event following damage to
the fairing of the arm, but they were present this weekend. They are making the most of our last quick start on the last
round on Sunday to get ahead and win this last regatta... Banque Populaire has proved to be a very serious opponent. But this
is no surprise ! They were not on the circuit last year, following their capsize in the Nice Trophy, and it is obviously a
pleasure to see them on the water again" concluded Cammas.
At the end of these first two events, Groupama
2 logically takes the lead of the 2007 ORMA Multihull Championship ahead of Gitana 11 and Banque Populaire.
As of
next week, Franck Cammas will fly off to the United States, where the crew of Groupama 3 are waiting for him on stand-by for
their next record : Miami - New York. As for Groupama 2, the skipper from Aix will rejoin it in a month's time, on 24th June,
for the start of the SNSM Trophy, a 300-mile race between Saint-Nazaire and Saint-Malo, raising money for the lifesavers at
sea.
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