Areva
with Team France ? (09/27/03) (source
: Les
Echos)
During the last Cup, Areva's €15m support
for Le Défi Areva has angered activists in France
and in the Pacific but Jacques-Emmanuel
Saulnier, director of communication and spokesman
for the Areva Group, said he is convinced that the
Areva Group's involvement in yachting was very successful.
"Our expectations concerning our commitment
to this campaign have been exceeded by far",
he explained. "The international coverage of
the event both on television, in the actual yachting
magazines and also in the wider press was of a scale
which we hadn’t foreseen".
According to the French financial newspaper Les
Echos, the Group is currently in the process of
negociating a new support with Loïck Peyron's
syndicate.
With a budget of €75 million, the French team
wants to build two ACC yachts and a multihull wich
should carry the sponsor's colours in oceanic races,
while waiting for the Cup.
Team
France close in on their targets ? (09/22/03)
(source
: la
Tribune de Genève)
Special guest on board SUI-64 during the Moët
Cup, Loick Peyron - a world-class French sailor
who is organizing a new French challenger team with
Bertrand Pacé called Team France - confirmed that
he was in talks with corporates to fund her 2007
Campaign.
After he admitted "we've still got a lot of money
to find", the French skipper said "since a few days,
I'm more optimistic about our chances for funding
a budget".
A true start for a great story ?
Loïc
Peyron's Team France advances (07/28/03)
(source
: Sail-online)
Last May, Loïck Peyron and Bertrand Pacé presented
the project "Team France" for the next America's Cup.
At the time, they stated that it would be necessary
for them to have 50% of their budget in hand by July.
While acknowledging that nothing has been signed to
date, Peyron believes that things are advancing in
the right direction. While he would not name his prospective
partner, he said "I hope to have good news during
the Figaro".
For Peyron, the urgency is in contracting the right
people: "Some are being queried by other syndicates,
if I don't find the money, I will lose men. For the
Cup, it is necessary to decide early on one's team."
The total proposed budget for Team France is 75 million
Euros, "at a rate of 10 million Euros each year over
four years. Ten million Euros, that's what it costs
to maintain a large cyclist team..." .
Rod
Davis with Team France ? (07/02/03)
(source
: Le
Temps)
The offshore race of the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship
is underway in Porto-Cervo, Italy, with some America's
Cuppers like Russell Coutts, Ian Walker or Tommaso
Chieffi.
For the Cuppers, it is a good time to exchange news
and rumours are flying around saying that Team France
have pulled the services of former Prada starting
helmsman Rod Davis into their squad for the next America's
Cup.
"It is too early to decide yet and I am giving
myself one year to decide", Davis said. "'All
will depend on which team secured the budget at time".
Clay
Oliver denies contacts with Team France (05/19/03)
(source
: Sunday
Star Times)
During the Wednesday press conference, Bertrand Pacé
has indicated he hoped to lure Team New Zealand principal
designer Clay Oliver to France.
But Oliver, who helped design the successful defence
boat in 2000 and the controversial and brittle hula
boat, contacted Dalton to deny this.
They are to meet soon as Dalton continues to seek
top sailing talent and design people for a New Zealand
challenge to be confirmed by the end of the year.
A
third French Challenge for 2007 (05/14/03)
(source
: Agence
Windward)
French skippers Loïck Peyron and Bertrand Pacé announced
today the formation of a third French yachting syndicate
for the America's Cup 2007. The other two are Le
Défi Francais and K-Yachting Challenge.
Loïc Peyron would be general manager of Team France, with
Bertrand Pacé, tune-up helmsman and adviser
to the defeated Team New Zealand in the Cup earlier
this year, as skipper.
Loïck and Bertrand have been rubbing shoulders out
on the water for ten years. And although match-racing
and the America's Cup have become part of Bertrand's
every day life, Loïck has been interested in the
famous silver trophy for almost ten years.
A project in common became obvious and both sailors,
each with an exceptional list of achievements, thrashed
their ideas out properly last December in Auckland.
An association which can be qualified as natural,
complementary and unifying. "For me, Bertrand is
one of the figures of the America's Cup," said Peyron.
"He knows the competition and its hidden side and
possess the famous international experience which
is so rare for we French. He really knows what it
means to manage a sporting project of this scale.
What's more, he has taken part in various sort of
organisations and knows their strengths and weaknesses.
He's been through a lot and now has his fair share
of grey hair to prove it! I'm not doing this without
Bertrand... "
"I've always had an enormous amount of esteem and
respect for Loïck, Pacé explained. "What I like
about him is that he is passionate about yacht racing.
He doesn't think twice before bringing himself into
question and sails on all sorts of boats. His boats
have always been technically innovative and high
performance machines."
"Loïck has enormous talent in terms of technology
and when it comes to navigation. He has both the
savoir-faire and the energy to manage an America's
Cup team. We are both passionate about sailing and
love being out on the water. That should not be
forgotten!"
Pacé explains that "we have to start acquiring key
people right now."
So strong relations are maintained with national
and international skills in setting up the Design
Team. For several months now, we have been in contact
with two American "personalities" - Rod Davis (Coach,
9 America's Cup participations, 2 times Olympic
medalist in the Los Angeles (gold) and Barcelona
(silver) Games, 14 international match-racing titles)
and Clay Oliver (naval architect, Team New Zealand,
Stars and Stripes, America3).
With a view to mixing skill and experience, Christian
Contzen former Managing Director of Renault F1 (6
times World Champion) and highly enthusiastic about
our project will be in charge of technological partnerships.
Top French educational institutions have already
given their undertaking.
"Money alone is not enough to win, but you cannot
win without money." Therefore, in order to get down
to work rapidly and efficiently, the best men and
tools of the moment have to be brought in.
Peyron said they had set themselves until the end
of July to raise at least half of their projected
€75m budget.
