Heading south for the second event of the GC32 Racing Tour

by Sébastien Rogues on 26 Jun 2017 The seven heavyweights contending the GC32 Racing Tour title are heading to Sardinia, in the southeast corner of the island, where they will race against each other from Wednesday 28th June to Saturday 1st July in the GC32 Villasimius Cup.

All the competing GC32 teams are eager to try out racing at this new sailing venue. Measuring up against Sébastien Rogues’ Team ENGIE, the other teams, who come to Sardinia in peak form, will leave the French team little room for manoeuvre. Sébastien Rogues is confident in his team’s potential, and arrives in the Mediterranean more focused than ever.

Having finished fourth in the first event of the GC32 Racing Tour on Lake Garda in Italy, Team ENGIE descends on the Mediterranean for a rematch, and above all to prove that the French GC32 has a place on this circuit’s podium. The competition is very high and the other six teams competing in Villasimius will be putting up a fight to win.

A steady pace

In this type of competition, where there are many races, the slightest slip-up can be difficult to correct. Good results and consistency are the key to guarantee success. Sébastien Rogues knows this only too well: “At this level of competition the team must be consistent at all costs and finish in the Top 3 as often as possible at this event, with of course the aim to win as many races as possible. This is what it is going to take to reach our goal of gaining a place on the final podium and capitalise on our end of season objective - a podium finish on the GC32 Racing Tour. We have the means to achieve this; the team is tightly welded, talented and already has ample foiling experience. We are going to approach the races one by one and capitalise on our strengths while erasing the weak points. We are really looking forward to competing at this venue. There should be plenty of wind, and as we will be sailing on an open body of water, the state of the sea will also be a factor to consider.”

Sailing and physical training between events

Daily training is necessary to maintain the team’s high level between each event. Sébastien and his team are fully aware of this and aim to sail on all types of boats, especially foiling boats, between competitions.

After returning to France from the competition in Riva, Sébastien Rogues participated in the largest gathering of foiling boats, the FOILING BAY, which took place in La Baule in Brittany in May, where Sébastien paired up with Jean-Batiste Gellée to compete in the Flying Phantom class.

Antoine Joubert rose to even greater heights and climbed Europe’s highest summit, Mont Blanc. “It was a challenge I had in mind for a while and when my mind is set on something, I will not rest until I achieve it. It is a way of surpassing myself physically and mentally. It was an intense effort and I did not foresee how deeply I would have to dig to draw the necessary resources. I have learnt much about myself from climbing Mont Blanc. I love the mountains and I have just returned from the Puy de Dôme where I practiced paragliding. I have re-charged my batteries, that is certain”, commented Antoine Joubert, an atypical training for the sailor who works on cardio and endurance.

Gurvan Bontemps preferred the calm of the Swiss lakes and participated in the largest closed water race, the Bol d'Or. When they are not sailing, the sailors run, cycle and lift weights in order to keep their physical condition in the optimal shape required by this physically demanding sailing discipline.

Sébastien Rogues, Gurvan Bontemps, Jean-Baptiste Gellée, Antoine Joubert and Benjamin Amiot are confident in their success, but are keenly aware of the work to be done. Choosing the optimal path on the race course, positioning themselves well on the start line, choosing the most favourable side of the water, foiling for as long as possible, manoeuvring to perfection and being incisive at key moments of the race are the keys to success. So will Villasimius be the event that unleashes the toughest competition? Saturday July 1st will reveal the results of the second event of this ultra competitive circuit.

Overall Ranking 2017 GC32 Racing Tour
1 - Realteam – Switzerland – 1 point
2 - Team Tilt – Switzerland – 2 points
3 - Armin Strom Sailing Team – Switzerland – 3 points
4 - Team ENGIE – France – 4 points
5 - Team Argo – USA – 5 points
6 – I’M Racing Movistar – 6 points
7 - Mamma Aiuto ! – Japan – 7 points
8 - Team France Youth – France – 8 points
9 - Malizia – Yacht Club de Monaco – Monaco – 9 points
10 - Team BDA – Bermuda – 10 points
11 - Codigo Rojo – Argentina – 11 points