"There
is place for only one French Challenge", Loïck
Peyron said in May and, two months after Valencia
was picked to host the next America's Cup, one can
wonder if he was not too optimistic as the three
French projects are very far from their initial
goals.
"Everybody's struggling to raise funds," said Dawn
Riley, team manager of K-Challenge. "We're one of
the strongest teams, and it's really hard because
of the sponsorship market."
"We're day to day right now, whether we can raise
the funds," she said. "Until it's over, it's still
going. I check my e-mail every night. 'Do we have
a sponsor yet?' "
According to the initial plans, the K-Challenge
would have to secure at least 50 percent of its
total budget (€80 million).
"We are finalizing with a partner for 10 to
15 million euros", now explained Stéphane Kandler,
K-Challenge General Manager. "We hope that
it will be approved quickly because our team members
are now free to move".
"The priority is to start soon the design activities",
Kandler added. "Our work will be primarily
focused on research and the nonpriority activities
will be frozen".
In
a similar scenario, the Loïck Peyron's Team
France continuing to work to preserve the hope of
launching a syndicate.
"We always believe in a winning challenge because
we have people with whom we want to work and the
assets are still available", Peyron said. "Everybody
is waiting for ... but the difference is that I'm
not a billionaire and I had to feed my family".
The
situation is not better for the former Défi
Areva. In spite of the last Cup assets, (a base
in Lorient temporarily rented to Bruno Peyron, three
America's Cup Class yachts...), the
economic austerity is the only way forward for the
syndicate.
"We are going step by step", Pierre Mas
said. "What is significant for us is to sail
in Valencia before the end of the year. we are very
close to achieving this goal and it can all start".
A kind of "policy of waiting" which could
be beneficial, taking into account the difficulties
that presently affect the two other projects.
"Today, it is well established that the context
is not clear for the potential investors",
said Pierre Mas, who would have contact with the
K-Challenge during the French "Salon Nautique"
in December. "It is useless to continue each
one on our side, knowing that it's very difficult
for everybody".
A policy of reconciliation which it had been very
hard to implement according to Stéphane Kandler.
"We got a number of lawyer letters from Le
Défi and a categorical ‘Niet’ from the Team
France, even to sit down around a table", he
said. "We are not ready for that".
The
Team France appointed by the FFV (12/11/03) (source
: FFV)
After
having supported Le Défi in Auckland last year, the
French Federation of Sailing (FFV) now decided to
adhere to the Peyron/Pacé Project for 2007.
"We don't have intention to finance a boat but we
can help secure the funds by giving our support",
said Jean-Pierre Champion, President of the French
Federation. "It's what we are doing now with the Team
France leaded by Loïck Peyron and Bertrand Pacé".
Nevertheless, this was a surprising decision as national
authorities have had the mission to neutrally represent
all aspects of sailing.
"In the current situation, I feels that the Team
France is the best placed player to succeed, to shine
in sport and to be in the spirit we want to see in
a French Team", explained Jean-Pierre Champion
to justify this position.
"It combines Bertrand Pacé, one of the
world's most powerful America's Cup helmsman, our
only world champion in match-race-sailing, with Loïck
Peyron one of the most popular sailors in France who
have no need to prove his skills".
Franck
Cammas with Team France ? (10/30/03) (source
: Sports.fr)
In
compliance with the orientations defined by Bertrand
Pacé ("to build a coherent project with
competences from the Olympism as well as from Offshore
race, single-handed racing or America's Cup"),
reigning trimaran champion Franck Cammas said is interested
by the new French campaign.
"It is indeed something interesting to do",
the young French skipper said. "I contacted Bertrand
Pacé, expressing my interest in the project. II said
to him that if he needed a hand, I was available."
"Now, It is necessary that this be compatible
with my Groupama campaign", added Franck Cammas.
"but Loïck is himself trying to reconcile both,
so I'm sure we could work that out.."
French's America's Cup challenge could made a big
credibility gain with the signing of Franck Cammas,
winner of the Route du Rhum in 2001 and the Orma 60ft
circuit for the last two years, among other things.
€75
Million or nothing for Team France (10/29/03) (source
: L'équipe)
In
1970 ballpoint pen magnate Baron Bich launched France’s
first challenge for the America’s Cup and this sailing
country has been represented at nearly every Cup competition
since.
Better known as a multihull and single-handed racing
country than a nation of match-racers sailors, successive
French syndicates have struggled to gain the kind
of profile in France that they deserve.
This has meant that finding Cup-level funding has
always been a problem and the solution has been a
mixture of commercial and state support in the past,
but it always results in the budget being released
much too late.
Bertrand Pacé and Loïck Peyron did not share this
losing philosophy ("we are not going to win the Cup
but we will be ready to have a winning project for
the following time") and they intend to be a real
player in the game.
"We want to build a project that give us a chance
to win", Bertrand Pacé said. "We already have a stature,
supports and more or less advanced contracts but we
don’t want to start without total funding".
"It is a significant point that we don't want
to fiddle. The budget is 75 million euros.",
the Frenchman said. "Some people think that it
is impossible to find it in France. We, however, have
the human, sport and technological resources to build
a coherent project with competences from the Olympism
as well as from Offshore race, single-handed racing
or America's Cup".
It's an essential part of the future Team's success
to federate all this French resources but Bertrand
Pacé also wants to recourse to external competences.
"The mixing of experience and ideas is essential,
it's necessary that each one can open out", Bertrand
Pacé insisted. "It is necessary to open up the
Team to the Anglo-Saxons and other foreign syndicates,
to the sail design process, to the coaching. Without
speaking about the design team. Our will is to recruit
a lot of players in this sectors".
An ambitious syndicate, which should allow the first
Frenchman to sail in the America’s Cup to recover
from a bitter taste campaign.
"I stood back but it was not easy to live",
Bertrand said. "The 5-0 loss was a huge frustration
for us because we’ve worked very hard for two years
and half. We didn't keep an open mind and we became
smug in our certainty".
Some
news from Peyron's Team France (10/25/03) (source
: Yahoo.fr)
In
an AFP press release, Loïck Peyron said he
was still waiting for the commitment of the title
sponsor to build a competive 2007 campaign but he
revealed his Team is currently in talks with many
French companies which include the French sportswear
brand Lacoste and TF1 Group, the most popular channel
with the French public.
Others names given by Peyron are Paritech (a group
of ten foremost French institutes of engineering),
the European Space Agency, the CNRS (the National
Center for Scientific Research), the Ecoles Centrales
(top French scientific school), Ernst & Young and
Look.
Though
Team France have not finalized anything yet, Loïck
Peyron announced the Team will soon recruit French
olympic and federal talent in building two competitive
match racing team for the World Match Racing Circuit.
This will allow new recruits with limited match
racing experience to train in the one-on-one format
of racing used in the America's Cup.
The choice of the other team members, both the sailing
and design teams, should also be carried out soon
said Peyron. The Team France is "in close relations"
with several French and International personalities
he added.
No
place for three French syndicates (10/08/03) (source
: Libération)
"There
is place for only one French Challenge", Loick
Peyron said in May and, five months later, this opinion
seems more real than ever. While Chris Dickson announces
a $US100 million campaign, the three potential French
teams have yet to secure a budget.
By many considered as favorite in this French competition,
in particular thanks to the charisma and popularity
of Loïck Peyron, Team France is still looking
for a main backer, ready to invest several tens of
million euros in the adventure.
"We went to see first the CAC 40 companies [the
40 "blue chips" weighted index of the Paris Stock
Exchange] because we defend the French colors",
Peyron said. After having received a final refusal
from French oil giant Total, he remains "relatively
optimistic".
Meanwhile, the situation is not better in Lorient.
In spite of the last Cup assets, (in particular a
base and three America's Cup Class yachts), the former
Défi Areva now reconsiders its ambitions.
"A €80 million maximalist solution which
includes Paul Cayard is not realistic in today's environment",
Pierre Mas regretted at the beginning of week. "One
month of sailing in America's Cup yachts costs a million
euros".
"So we developed a program with monohull - with
lighter development program - for the first two years
of preparation", he added. "This way we
reduce the costs to generate a profitable operation
for our partners".
Speaking about contacts "in the United States,
in Japan and in Europe", K-Challenge's Stéphane
Kandler appears to have reduced their €80 million
goals. He just said now that his campaign could continue
if €15 million could be found by the end of the
year.
To leave this dead end, the three syndicate seem to
have the same idea : trying to convince Areva to return
after a positive considered experience (in spite of
the poor performance of the French crew).
"We spent €15 million in 2002 and it would
be necessary to invest two or three more we're done",
observes Jacques-Emmanuel Saulnier, director of communication
and spokesman for the Areva Group. "I don't know
if it is appropriate for our needs".
"Even if it were the case", he added, "none
of the three current projects can provide the guarantee
of success we wait. There is still work to do".
In such a situation , more and more analysts are now
evoking a merger solution which would finally allow
to build a competitive French syndicate.
