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| With 2009 being punctuated by the Route of the Subsidiaries, the Mediterranean crossing record, the Atlantic dual with Banque
Populaire and the second attempt to conquer the Jules Verne Trophy, 2010 is also shaping up to host a packed season for Team
Groupama and her skipper, Franck Cammas.
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Indeed after a third record attempt on the Jules Verne for the start of the year, Franck will be taking part in the
European Extreme Sailing Series circuit (ex iShares Cup) and the legendary Route du Rhum aboard Groupama 3,
which is to be adapted to solo sailing.
In between times Team Groupama will be preparing for a new challenge,
the Volvo Ocean Race, the start of which will be given late 2011. In order to do this, the members of the Team will sail aboard
Groupama 70 (ex Ericsson 4, outright winner of the last race) before refitting its successor, Groupama 4, midway through
the year.
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 European Extreme Sailing Series
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For the fourth year this circuit is being raced in Europe aboard 40 foot one-design catamarans. Fourth in the 2009
circuit behind the two Oman boats and Gitana Extreme, Franck Cammas and his crew will be pulling out all the stops to ensure
they perform at their very best.
In charge of the preparation and management of the programme, Tanguy Cariou is working
very conscientiously after identifying the strong and weak points at the tail end of the season last year. As such, outside
the race programme, some training sessions with other competitors are scheduled in Lorient in April or May.
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European stages from May to October with a final in Almeria, Spain
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The Round Britain and Ireland race
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The race will set off from Cowes on the Isle of Wight on 23rd August where Team Groupama will be vying with other crews
from the Volvo Ocean Race. This will be the first offshore race aboard Groupama 70 and an important test in the crew
selection process to decide who will drive Groupama 4 in the Volvo Ocean Race.
Team Groupama is also going to benefit
from the Transmanche race (21st May) and the SNSM record (19th June) to show the public and the French press
what Groupama 70 is made of.
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Route du Rhum 2010
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Closed to multihulls in excess of 60 foot since 1990, the Route du Rhum La Banque Postale is once again taking up
the spirit of its creator, Michel Etévenon, by opening the race to maxi multihulls. In this way the start line off Saint Malo
will play host to boats like Idec, Sodebo as well as Gitana 11.
Competing against them, Franck Cammas will be at
the helm of Groupama 3. For this to be possible the maxi trimaran is to be equipped with a mast which is four metres shorter
and has a slightly smaller sail area. The same length as Idec and Sodebo, which were specially designed for solo sailing,
Groupama 3 is more powerful with a 22.5 metre beam compared to one of 16.5 metres for the two Irens designs.
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Start on 31st October in Saint Malo
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