This weekend, September 10-11, 2016, France hosted a Louis Vuitton America's Cup Series event in the city of Toulon. Saturday kicked off in the late afternoon in a light thermal breeze, not exceeding 7/8 knots. Of the three starts, Artemis Racing clearly distinguished itself in the first two races of the day to finish in the 3rd place e place in the last round.
"Great day for us. Above all, having a team working tirelessly around me on the boat makes my life easier. Coming back to the team after the Olympics wasn't a problem for me, we'd already planned the job in Chicago, we spent a lot of time together working on communication on board. Today we always positioned ourselves well before the starts, which gave us the opportunity to get a good grasp of the race, the boats to keep an eye on, the way we arrived at the buoys... I'm very happy with the dialogue we managed to establish with the tactician. The first passage through the leeward gate was crucial." said Nathan Outteridge, skipper of Artemis Racing.
As such the Danish team came out on top in this first round, just ahead of Groupama Team France, who were playing at home. The French team, reputed to be at ease in light airs, managed to get back into the match despite two early starts (and hence two penalties). With a superb final duel with Land Rover BAR, the French finished in 2 e place in the Toulon ranking, one point ahead of Emirates Team New Zealand.
"We're happy to finish second after this first day, it's obviously good for morale, but also to have been able to do some good races here in Toulon. Tomorrow, with more thermal breeze, the races will surely be more lively in terms of speed. We're at ease in these light conditions; we can feel the boat well. The two false starts, it's a communication problem, and maybe a bit too much of a desire to get going" explained Franck Cammas, skipper of Groupama Team France.
Sunday, September 11th was "Super Sunday" day, the day when the sleeves count double. A day that confirmed Artemis Racing in its role as leader on this French stage, with three wins out of six races. They won ahead of SoftBank Team Japan and the British team Land Rover BAR, who maintained their leadership in the overall Louis Vuitton America's Cup Series standings.
"I'm super happy to be back in Toulon with this victory, especially given the complex sailing conditions in which we raced over the two days. Since our debut in AC45F, we have made great progress, both technically and tactically. That's what the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series is all about - preparing for the Grand Final. I feel like we're making progress and I'm very happy with the team we're making with Iain Percy. The setting here was just beautiful, and I really hope to be able to come back and sail in Toulon again said Nathan Outteridge, helmsman and skipper of Artemis Racing.
Groupama Team France finishes in fourth place e place. Franck Cammas and his team used this French leg to meet their French public and introduce the America's Cup to the French public. Toulon Provence Méditerranée announced 260,000 spectators over the three days.
"This weekend is finally a good result, with four places in the top three. It's positive for us. Of course, we could have hoped for better in the last round, but we couldn't control our opponents or get the right laughing stock. That's the way it is, it's part of the game and part of the regatta! Anyway, it was great to see so many people ashore to enjoy the show. The public was there. There's a real popular potential behind a French America's Cup team. We are delighted with the work that has been done by Toulon Provence Méditerranée and the city of Toulon to organise this much anticipated event. A very positive experience also for our partners. They are all the more eager to follow us and continue to work with us "said Franck Cammas.
Ranking of the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series Toulon :
1- Artemis Racing (1,1,3,1,3,5) - 76 pts
2- SoftBank Team Japan (5,4,5,2,4,1) - 71 pts
3- Land Rover BAR (6,6,1,3,1,4) - 70 pts
4- Groupama Team France (4,3,2,6,2,3) - 68 pts
5- Emirates Team New Zealand (2,2,6,5,6,2) - 63 pts
6- ORACLE TEAM USA (3,5,4,4,5,6) - 57 pts
Overall Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series standings after 8 races :
1- Land Rover BAR; skipper/helmsman Ben Ainslie - 437 points
2- ORACLE TEAM USA; skipper/Jimmy Spithill - 423 points
3- Emirates Team New Zealand; skipper Glenn Ashby/ helmsman Peter Burling - 420 points
4- SoftBank Team Japan; skipper/ helmsman Dean Barker - 399 points
5- Artemis Racing; skipper/helmsman Nathan Outteridge - 391 points
6- Groupama Team France; skipper/helmsman Franck Cammas - 360 points
