Energy Team unveiled
The Peyron brothers at the sixth official challenger for the 34th America’s Cup
Wednesday February 9th 2011, Author: James Boyd, Location: France
Energy Team has officially become a Challenger for the 34th America’s Cup. Launched and run by Loïck and Bruno Peyron, this challenge is backed by the Yacht Club de France. The construction of the first AC72 multihull will begin at the Multiplast yard in Vannes on 1 September.
Within the news last September that the 34th America’s Cup would be raced in multihulls, the Peyron brothers two of the oldest exponents of this discipline announced that they wanted to bring French know-how together and so set up their own challenge to win the prestigious trophy.
So Energy Team, is the Peyron’s new French challenge and has been officially registered for the 34th America’s Cup since 27 January 2011. It is the sixth Challenger for the 34th America’s Cup.
Energy Team is challenging via the Yacht Club de France and aims to be one of the most competitive teams taking part in the event. The team’s ambition is to do all it can to take part in the next two America’s Cups.
Philippe Court, President of the Yacht Club de France commented: “…after attempting without success to bring together the two potential teams that have declared themselves, it seemed to us not just the normal thing to do, but a necessity that the YCF and its board support Bruno and Loick Peyron’s project to take a challenge to the Golden Gate Yacht Club by becoming Official Challenger for the 34th America’s Cup. It was normal because with the new format for the America’s Cup, Bruno and Loick’s list of achievements in multihull racing, a real French speciality, confirms their place, as well as their technical and managerial skills, making these two exceptional sailors the best candidates for a French attempt in the Cup. It is a necessity as it fits in perfectly with the mission of the YCF to take part in any attempt, where France (finally) has a serious chance of seizing victory in the America’s Cup, after taking part in every edition since 1970.”
Russell Coutts added: “It’s fantastic that we’ve got another team in the America’s Cup and what should be a very competitive one. Obviously Loïck and Bruno Peyron have a lot of multihull experience and they know how to campaign these boats and Loïck was very involved in the last America’s Cup. So I think it’s fantastic that they are in this. I know they have been wanting to get into this and it’s great to see they have lodged their entry.”
Bruno Peyron is the general manager of Energy Team while younger brother Loïck will be skipper and also be in charge of the Design Team.
To fulfil this ambition, Energy Team has signed an exclusive partnership with Multiplast, the boatyard based in Vannes who have previously built Bruno Peyron’s Orange I and II catamarans along with the present Jules Verne Trophy record holder, Franck Cammas’ Groupama 3.
While construction of the team’s first AC72 catamaran will start 1st September, her launch is scheduled for April 2012. Yann Penfornis, Managing Director of the yard, will be coordinating the AC 72 design and construction teams, under the supervision of Loïck Peyron.
The team will also be getting an AC 45, which is set to be delivered to Energy Team in March 2011, so they can begin training in Auckland.
To train and then to race, Energy Team will have at its disposal an impressive fleet of multihulls of all sizes, with 17 in all available to them: four Class A boats, four F18s, a D35, an X40, a G-Class maxi-catamaranb (the former Orange II), two AC45s and two AC72s… plus four F25s, which are a 1/3 scale model of the AC72s, which will be used for the America’s Cup.
The Energy Team base, the nerve centre of the project, will be set up on the Atlantic coast of France. It will include three centres: one in Vannes, the Multiplast yard, which will be the construction and technological development base; one in Lorient, which will be dedicated to the AC72 and G-Class catamarans; and finally one in La Baule, which will both be the main training centre for the squad and the operations centre for all the work with partners and the media.
Core members of the team
The core members of the Racing Team are already in place and bring together a wealth of experience in four major areas that are vital for performance. The core members so far appointed include the following:
Loïck Peyron, skipper of the AC45 and AC72: 6 times F60 world champion, 8 times F28 Trophy Champion winner,
Bruno Peyron: 8 times world ocean records champion, skipper of the G Class, which will be the ambassador for Energy Team,
Yann Guichard: helmsman with Loïck Peyron : Extreme 40 world number 2, Member of the French Olympic team,
Thierry Fouchier: performance team, the only Frenchman to have won the America’s Cup with BMW Oracle Racing aboard which he was the wing sail trimmer.
Jean-Christophe Mourniac: performance team, member of the French Olympic team, one of the world’s top 5 Tornado and F18 racers over the past ten years.
Yves Loday: coach for young talent. Former member of the French Olympic team, he was Tornado gold medallist in Barcelona in 1992. He will be joining the team to prepare the “Youth America’s Cup” that the American Defender is launching.
The executive committee in place
Within the executive committee of Energy Team set up around Loïck and Bruno Peyron, we can find such influential members as Philippe Court, President and Gérard Petipas, Vice-President of the Yacht Club de France, but also various personalities, whose expertise and skills can only be beneficial, from a strategic as well as a marketing, business and legal perspective. François Château, President of the Salans international law firm (in charge of the legal aspects of the project), Erik Maris, from the Messier Maris consulting agency and Thierry Reboul, President of the event management agency Ubibene, which will be taking care of the marketing strategy and partnership packages.
Key dates
• 26th October 2010 : 1st announcement made by Loïck and Bruno Peyron
• 27th January 2011 : The Yacht Club de France becomes the official Yacht Club for the ENERGY TEAM challenge
• 27th January 2011 : ENERGY TEAM, 6th official challenger
• March 2011 : Official closing date for registrations
• March 2011 : Launch of the first Energy Team AC45
• June 2011 : Start of the AC World Series
• April 2012 : Launch of the first Energy Team AC72
• 13th July to 1st September 2013 : San Francisco, Louis Vuitton Cup.
• 7th to 22nd September 2013 : San Francisco, final match