Jaguar NeilPryde Racing Series action in Nice

by Manu Messiaen on 25 Oct 2012 The Jaguar NeilPryde Racing Series took place in Nice last weekend for its first French stopover. A fleet of 25 windsurfers from Italy and France competed on the universal one-design RS:One, an ISAF-approved class. The triple RS:X world champion and silver Olympic medallist Julien Bontemps was also part of the guest list.

The RS:One Class features a new, attractive, and dynamic race format: one sail, one board - everyone on the same equipment allowing male and female racers of all ages to compete together.

Courses were set in la 'Baie des Anges' in front of the Extreme Sailing Series village, just meters from the massive crowds, providing a unique spectator experience and allowing for some exciting close-quarter competition on water.

Racing in three divisions – male under 22 years (Espoir), male/female over 22 years (Senior) and male over 40 years old (Master) – the event comprised of two days of races with ten qualification heats, two fiercely contested finals held in challenging conditions with fluctuating winds of four to 20 knots.

Being a one-design class, all RS:One equipment was supplied by NeilPryde, giving an equal chance to all competitors no matter sex or age. The winners of each division and overall Super Final winner shared the prize money of US$3,000.

The Jaguar NeilPryde Racing Series will continue its journey to Rio (Brazil), last stop over of this 2012 tour.

Saturday Results:

Men Espoir:
1- Maxime Abiven
2- Arnaud BIllet
3- Philippe Lafay

Men Senior:
1- Julien Bontemps
2- Eugenie Ricard
3- Marco Passeri

Men Master:
1- Laurent Rattoti
2- Marc Tonali
3- Alain Blondeau

LED Night race winner:
1- Julien Bontemps

Sunday Results:

Men Espoir:
1- Dante Chiapello
2- Arnaud Billet
3- Paul Rozier

Men Senior:
1- Julien Bontemps
2- Eugenie Ricard
3- Yann Bouverne

Men Master:
1- Laurent Rattotti
2- Marc Tonali
3- Alain Blondeau

Super Final winner:
Julien Bontemps

More about the RS One