Fred Le Peutrec and his team started out the day on a level pegging points wise with Sergio Tacchini and with the firm intention of not letting Karine Fauconnier take the silver medal, leaving Gitana 11 to take bronze.
The young skipper of Sergio Tacchini, the only woman skipper of these Formula 1 racing machines, was not put off by their determination and managed to hold Gitana 11 at bay for the first two rounds raced today Sunday. It no doubt came off as she had two sources of motivation today – firstly, the rankings of the Grand Prix de Marseille, but also the battle she has been waging against Géant, for the second place in the overall rankings of the ORMA 2004 championship, a dual in which Géant took the final advantage.
When Yann Marilley, crew on Gitana 11 and Gitana Team Manager docked this evening, he insisted upon the great pleasure he and all members of the Gitana sailing and shore teams had in being able to offer Baron Benjamin Rothschild this third top three place in a row, along with the win at the Grand Prix de Calvi last week :
« This evening, all of the Gitana Team would like to thank Baron Benjamin de Rothschild for his patience and trust in our progress, illustrated by our win in Calvi and our two podium places in Fécamp and Marseille. We’re incredibly fortunate to have a sponsor-crew who makes it possible for us to sail such exceptional machines at this level and to live out our passion. As Team Manager, I should like to thank the whole of the Gitana Team for its team spirit and the enthusiasm with which each and every member of the team has approached Gitana 11’s first racing season. Thanks to the cohesion of the sailing and technical teams, we have made truly significant progress which enables us to look ahead to the next year’s season in a calm state of mind.»
At the Marseille Grand Prix prize-giving ceremony, Fred Le Peutrec, Gitana 11’s skipper, thanked his crew, Baron Benjamin de Rothschild, Yann Guichard, Yann Marilley, Christophe Lassègue, François Denis, Jean Baptiste Epron, Nicolas Berthoud, Fred Brousse, Xavier Dagault, Yann Elies, but also the shore crew of the Gitana Team present in Marseille, Jean Le Houérou, the Gitana Team’s technical manager, Laurent Bourgues, William Fabulet, Jean Pierre Trottet, Richard Bastide, Laurent Rivals, Hubert Guillemot, Françis Breton and Bianca Deren.
Gitana 11 will be getting underway once again next week on the return delivery voyage bound for her home port of La Trinité sur Mer in southern Brittany, where she is to undergo modifications in view of the ORMA 2005 programme.
Gitana 11 – crew for the Grand Prix de Marseille
1-Frédéric Le Peutrec – Skipper – Helm
2- Baron Benjamin de Rothschild – runner – wincher
3- Yann Guichard – tactician
4- Yann Marilley – Headsail trimmer
5-Christophe Lassègue – n° 1 – bowman
6-François Denis – n° 2 – second bowman
7-Jean Baptiste Epron – mainsail trimmer
8-Nicolas Berthoud – headsail trimmer
9-Fred Brousse – wincher
10-Xavier Dagault – wincher
11- Yann Eliès – navigator – pitman
TODAY’S RESULTS
Result Round n°6 – Start : 13h 03 – First finisher : 14h 09
1 – Groupama II – 1 point
2 – Sergio Tacchini – 2 points
3 – Gitana 11 – 3 points
4 – Banque Populaire – 4 points
5 – Géant – 5 points
6 – Foncia – 6 points
7 – Sopra Group – 7 points
8 – Banque Covefi – DNS –10 points
9 – Sodebo – DNS – 10 points
Result Round n°7– Start : 14h 51 – First finisher : 15h 51
1 – Groupama II – 1 point
2 – Géant – 2 points
3 – Sergio Tacchini – 3 points
4 – Gitana 11 – 4 points
5 – Banque Populaire – 5 points
6 – Foncia – 6 points
7 – Sopra Group – 7 points
8 – Banque Covefi – DNS –10 points
9 – Sodebo – DNS – 10 points
Overall Rankings after 6 rounds
1 – Groupama II – 7 points
2 – Sergio Tacchini – 19 points
3 – Gitana 11– 21 points
4 – Géant – 25 points
5 – Foncia – 28 points
6 – Banque Populaire – 32 points
7 – Sopra Group – 36 points
DNS – Banque Covefi – 60 points
DNS – Sodebo – 60 points