Orient Express Racing Team — the French Challenger for the 37th America’s Cup — has unveiled their sailing squad.
The announcement precedes the imminent arrival of the team’s AC40 foiling monohull at the Spanish venue, a vital component in their training trajectory ahead of the delivery of the AC75 America’s Cup race boat next year.
Helmsmen:
- Quentin Delapierre and Kevin Peponnet
Trimmers:
- François Morvan
- Matthieu Vandame
- Jason Saunders
Cyclor Squad:
- Germain Chardin
- Maxime Guyon
- Olivier Herlédant
- Tim Lapauw
- Antoine Nougarede
- Rémi and Thibaut Verhoeven
Delapierre and Peponnet will be the helmsmen for both the AC40 Orient Express and AC75, with Morvan, Vandame and Saunders the trimmers.
The ‘cyclors’ the literal powerhouse who provide the energy needed to operate the AC75’s controls are a group that comes from backgrounds in sailing, rowing, cycling and crossfit, all also with international and Olympic credentials.
“There is still a long way to go to the America’s Cup and we are not closing any doors on the possibility of adding other talented sailors to the group.” said Bruno Dubois.
At the same time construction of the AC75 at Multiplast, Vannes in the Morbihan region of France is ongoing, with French technical expertise front and centre with the development of the sailing simulators, electronics, mechatronics and IT, with the large foiling monohull set for delivery next May.
Also in-build is the team’s base in Barcelona under the watchful eye of Louis Viat, which will accommodate first the AC40 along with part of the team, and then the AC75.
The Orient Express Racing Team will be in Barcelona in August when the team settles into V1 of their base in the Catalan capital, and they start sailing aboard the AC40 Orient Express.
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