Beaten on Monday in Barcelona by Ineos Britannia during the last day of qualifying for the Louis-Vuitton Cup, the French team from the Orient Express challenge were eliminated from the competition which will designate the opponent of the New Zealanders, holders of the America’s Cup.
Absent from the last edition in Auckland, the French sailors, who arrived late in the campaign, only won one victory in eight races on the Spanish waters. They finished in fifth and last place in the ranking and will not see the semi-finals.
Helmsmen Quentin Delapierre and Kevin Peponnet were forced to prevail against Sir Ben Ainslie’s crew to keep their chance of qualifying for the next round, which no French challenge has reached since 1992.
But despite a good start, the French AC75 was quickly caught and then overtaken by the British who then led the entire race in much milder conditions than the day before, when a storm led to the cancellation of the regattas.
The smallest budget of the six teams involved, the Blues had nevertheless started the preliminary rounds well with a victory on the first day against the Swiss team Alinghi.
But since then, the French have suffered a series of disappointments on a foiling boat that they knew too little about. Overtaken in the ranking by the Swiss at the start of the second week, they have not managed to win a single round against the other teams.
The America’s Cup, the oldest sporting trophy in the world, has never smiled on French crews.
In around ten participations, the French challenges have only reached the semi-finals of the Louis-Vuitton Cup twice thanks to the crew of French Kiss (1987) and Ville de Paris (1992).
The top spot in the standings will be decided on Monday between Ineos Britannia and the Italians of Luna Rossa.
fd/chc
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