France once again at the America’s Cup
It’s called La Roche-Posay Racing Team, and it’s bringing France once again to the America’s Cup, which will be held in Naples for the 38th edition starting July 10, 2027. The addition of La Roche-Posay, a brand of the L’Oréal Group and a world leader in dermatological skincare, as title partner of the French team, which is supported by K-Challenge, brings the number of Challengers to four (currently). The French team joins Sir Ben Ainslie’s GB1, Luna Rossa, and Tudor Team Alinghi, who will challenge the defender, Emirates Team New Zealand, starting with the Preliminary Regattas scheduled for May 21-24 in Cagliari.
A challenge that’s a laboratory at sea
For La Roche-Posay, participating in the America’s Cup, which sees the AC40 crews competing in the Preliminaries and then the AC75 crews competing in the Trophy races—both foiling monohulls—constantly exposed to the elements, transforms the competition into a true scientific laboratory. “We share with the French team the values of innovation, collective performance, and the pursuit of excellence,” explains Alexandra Reni-Catherine, International General Manager of La Roche-Posay. “It’s very simple: if La Roche-Posay can protect and repair the skin of athletes in extreme conditions, it can protect all skins, everywhere.”
Philippe Presti’s Experience at the Team’s Head
La Roche-Posay Racing Team will have Philippe Presti as its Sporting Director. Presti is one of the most renowned French sailors. Regarding the America’s Cup, he has participated in seven editions, winning the Vecchia Jug twice, in 2010 and 2013, with Oracle Team USA. He also participated in the 2017 edition with Larry Ellison’s American team, and in the 2003 Le Défi Areva challenge in Valencia with the French team. Finally, Presti has been part of the Luna Rossa team three times, in 2007, 2021, and 2024. Presti will be skippered by Quentin Delapierre, co-helmsman in the Orient Express Racing Team challenge in the Preliminary Regattas of the 37th America’s Cup, held in 2024 in Barcelona.
France’s ‘first’ in the Cup in 1970
With the participation of La Roche-Posay Racing Team in the 38th America’s Cup, France’s participation in the trophy founded in 1851 with the victory of the schooner America in the race around the Isle of Wight, defeating 16 British vessels, has reached 14. France’s first participation dates back to 1970, and France deserves credit for forcing the American defender to expand the number of challengers to more than one. It was in that edition that, having received simultaneous challenges from Australia and France, the New York Yacht Club, holder of the trophy, had to organize the Challenger Selection Series to select the best challenger to oppose the defender. The French challenger in 1970 was launched by Baron Marchel Bich with the 12-meter SI France, at the helm of which great French champions alternated (unsuccessfully), including the legendary Eric Tabarly. Bich would try again in 1974 and 1977. And also in 1980 when France 3, a Johan W. Vallentijn & Zonen FA design built in aluminum by the Dufour Shipyards, and with a former Olympian, Bruno Troublé, at the helm, reached the challenger final but was defeated by the Australian team.
A Frenchman Invents the Louis Vuitton Cup
Bruno Troublè was also at the helm of France 3 in the 1983 edition, and the French skipper deserves credit for inventing the Louis Vuitton Cup, with its challenger selection races for the America’s Cup regattas. Troublè failed to improve on his 1980 result, and France 3 was again stopped by the Australian team. This time by Australia II, the wing-keeled boat designed by Ben Lexcen and helmed by John Bertrand. Bertrand, beating Dennis Conner’s defender Liberty, removed the Old Jug from the display case that had housed it for 132 years in the halls of the New York Yacht Club.
The Louis Vuitton Cup, the trophy conceived by Bruno Troublé.
The 1987 Double Challenge
At the 1987 Fremantle regattas in Australia for the 26th America’s Cup, France entered not one but two teams. A Pajot was at the helm of both 12-meter SIs: Marc Pajot on French Kiss, and his brother Yves aboard Challenge France. Marc fared better between the two, reaching the semifinals, but was defeated by Kiwi Magic, also known as Plastic Fantastic, the New Zealand 12-meter designed by Burce Farr and helmed by Chris Dickson. In the Louis Vuitton Cup final, however, Dickson lost to Dennis Conner, the eventual winner (the first to lose and re-win the America’s Cup) on the defender Kookaburra III. In San Diego, where the 28th America’s Cup was being raced in 1992 with the new IACC class (the 27th was between KZ-1, Michael Fay’s New Zealand Big Boat, and Stars & Stripes, Conner’s catamaran that defeated the Kiwis 2-0), France was competing with Ville de Paris, a Philippe Briand design, again with Marc Pajot at the helm. They reached the semifinals but were unable to advance to the Louis Vuitton Cup, contested by Raul Gardini’s Moro di Venezia with Paul Cayard and Peter Balke’s New Zealand Challenge. Moro di Venezia advanced, but was then beaten by Bill Koch and Buddy Melges’ America 3.
Marc Pajot was also at the helm in the 1995 attempt to win the Cup. This attempt proved to be very unfortunate. One boat was damaged during the launch, while the one competing in San Diego dismasted in the final Round Robin.
France’s other appearance at the Cup was at the 30th edition in Auckland in 2000 (the first without an American team), with Le Defi and Bertrand Pacé and Thierry Peponnet on board. Le Defi finished last of the six teams competing in the Louis Vuitton Cup semifinals.
Oceanic Cammas also competed in Bermuda in 2017
At the 31st America’s Cup in 2003, again in Auckland, Areva Challenge competed with Philippe Presti, but they failed to reach the semifinals. The same result was achieved in the 2007 edition held in Valencia, considered the most beautiful (and the most crowded, with 11 challengers) in America’s Cup history. In Valencia, the Areva Challenge team finished the Round Robin in sixth place. After the 2010 edition (the 33rd) with the duel between Alinghi and BMW Oracle and the victory of Larry Ellison’s trimaran and the 2013 edition in San Francisco with the flying AC72 catamarans and the spectacular comeback of the Americans who, from 8 to 2, managed to make it 9 to 8, preserving the Cup from the assault of Emirates Team New Zealand, France is back on the stage of the America’s Cup in the 2017 edition. In Bermuda, the challenge is launched by Groupama Team France with Franck Cammas who, together with Michel Desjoyeaux and Olivier de Kersauson, two legends of ocean sailing, and with the support of Stephane Kandler, alongside the French teams since 2002, has given the go-ahead for a new participation. Franck Cammas arrives at the Cup having in his curriculum, among other things, the recent victory in the Route du Rhum, the solo transatlantic from France to Guadeloupe, and also the conquest of the Jules Trophy Verne, the crewed round-the-world record. Both feats were achieved aboard multihulls. However, the French AC 50 finished with only two victories in qualifying for the final round of the Louis Vuitton Challenger Trophy, which replaced the Louis Vuitton Cup in Bermuda.
Orient Express’s adventure in the 2024 Barcelona Cup
The last French participation in the America’s Cup was that of Orient Express Racing Team in the 37th edition (the 36th race in 2021 in Auckland saw three challengers: Luna Rossa, Ineos Team UK, and American Magic) held in Barcelona in 2024. This challenge was once again supported by Stephane Kandler’s K-Challenge. Orient Express Racing Team was led by Quentin Delapierre and Kevin Peponnet. The format for that edition included preliminary races aboard AC 40s. The French team finished in last place out of six competing teams. Even in the Round Robins for the Louis Vuitton Cup aboard the new AC 75 monohulls, Orient Express achieved only one victory and was not admitted to the semifinals. This was the 13th appearance of the French team in the America’s Cup; Now for the 14th time the challenge comes from La Roche-Posay Racing Team.
From Lorient to Naples
In preparation for the Cagliari Preliminary Regattas, Quentin Delapierre’s French team will undergo an intense training program on simulators and the AC40 in Lorient, K-Challenge’s base. “After Cagliari, we’ll move to Lorient aboard our AC75 prototype, currently undergoing optimization,” explains Delapierre. “We’ll spend the summer in Brittany, in conditions similar to those we might find in the Gulf of Naples in spring 2027. The plan is then to establish the team’s base in Italy starting next September.”
Emilio Martinelli
