CUP BLOG: LA ROCHE-POSAY RACING TEAM

Revealing an exciting line-up of sailors, La Roche-Posay Racing Team welcomed new signings Diego Botín and Florian Trittel, the current 49er gold medallists at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, as well as Leigh McMillan who was a trimmer onboard the British Louis Vuitton Cup winning boat in Barcelona 2024.

Quentin Delapierre returns as skipper of La Roche-Posay Racing Team, and the current International Moth World Champion, Enzo Balanger, was also confirmed in the team. Experienced offshore sailor who brings a wealth of experience from The Ocean Race, Amélie Grassi was the first confirmed women athlete in the French roster whilst the team has opted for foiling experience in the trimming department with Jason Saunders, Timothé Lapauw and Bruno Mourniac all returning.

Quentin was excited about the new team he will lead saying: “When you look at this crew, you immediately see the richness and diversity of their backgrounds. It’s quite rare to have so many different sailing cultures within the same group. Each member brings their own expertise: the tactical precision of Olympic classes, mastery of foiling boats, management of extreme situations, or long-distance sailing. When you put all that together, it creates a very stimulating environment where everyone raises the bar. For me, the real strength of this team is its combination of experience, youth, and complementary skills. We have brought together sailors capable of performing at very high speeds while maintaining a collective vision of the race. Our team will have to work incredibly hard to always be at our peak and keep pace with the very sharp competition.” 

Philippe Presti, formerly of Luna Rossa, comes in as Sporting Director alongside Philippe Mourniac and both will be responsible for the training schedule with a focus on AC40 training immediately in the run-up to the Sardinia Preliminary Regatta, before switching to AC75 training over the summer months in Naples.

La Roche-Posay Racing Team has the biggest number of training days to utilise in the AC75 at fifty-five days and the sailors can expect long days on the water in the sister-ship to the 2024 America’s Cup winning Kiwi boat of Emirates Team New Zealand ‘Taihoro.’

Stephan Kandler and Bruno Dubois lead this latest French effort for the America’s Cup as joint CEOs of La Roche-Posay, and will be looking to bring the only major sailing trophy that France hasn’t won, back to Lorient. France has a long history in the America’s Cup dating back to the entrepreneur Baron Bich in the early 1970s. La Roche-Posay Racing Team have all the ingredients to go very deep in Naples in 2027.

Bruno Dubois, co-CEO of K-Challenge outlined the vision saying: “Today, with Stephan, we are exactly where we wanted to be according to our 5-year vision: K-Challenge is a sustainable structure that didn't stop after the 37th America's Cup; we were able to retain our core team and attract others to join us. Being specifically in charge of the sporting side, I am very pleased to see this group of highly complementary sailors brought together and am certain that under the guidance of the two Philippes, they will work in an environment conducive to progress."

Exciting times for the French.

Magnus Wheatley