Orient Express Racing Team back in the mix on final day in Jeddah
by Orient Express Racing Team 2 Dec 2023 20:00 UTC
Day 3 - AC40 - Preliminary Regatta - Jeddah, Saudi Arabia © Alexander Champy-McLean / OERT
The Orient Express Racing Team fully demonstrated their progress and potential on the final day of the 37th America's Cup Preliminary Regatta Jeddah, presented by NEOM, at one point leading the penultimate fleet race and signing off the event with two fourth places.
After the event's second day on Friday was marred by technical issues with their foiling AC40 race boat, the Orient Express race squad of Quentin Delapierre, Kevin Peponnet, Matthieu Vandame and Jason Saunders returned to action off the Red Sea city port.
They were greeted with a fresh breeze and a sometimes tricky sea state which caught all the teams out at one point or another, but were delighted to be back in the competitive mix in the last two fleet races of the event.
"Today was really interesting with windy conditions, and the racing was just unbelievable, so tight and really intense," said skipper and co-pilot Delapierre.
"I had never sailed on the Red Sea before, it is a great racing area — there are a lot of shifts and it is gusty, and not too many waves which is good for these foiling boats. It's been a great experience for the whole team and has provided some good training for next September," he added.
The 37th America's Cup Preliminary Regatta Jeddah finished with a one-off match race decider between the two top teams, with Emirates Team New Zealand taking victory ahead of the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team.
Though Orient Express Racing Team finished at the bottom of the regatta scoreboard, mainly as a result of their technical issues on day two, there is no doubt it has been a valuable experience for the whole team on the road to the America's Cup.
"We are a young team that has started from scratch and these competitive outings highlight how much we have to do to catch up," said Stephan Kandler, co-CEO of Orient Express Racing Team.
"We knew that this year was going to be our first step on the mountain that we have to climb, with a lot of things to learn within a new organisation and with a new boat — and I think we can be proud of what we have accomplished already and the foundations that we have put in place.
"Now we need to remain humble in the face of the work that we'll need to do in 2024, all the while having the same objectives and ambitions. But we have the right spirit and have put together a fantastic young team as well as strong Youth and Women's America's Cup teams."
And he added: "My thanks to our partners without whom we wouldn't be here, Orient Express, Accor Group, L'Oréal and all those that have supported us throughout this important first year. Our gratitude also to the government and the President of the Republic of France, and the FFV. We feel very supported in our endeavour, we feel this team has potential, and it is even more motivation to bury ourselves in working hard to represent them - the sponsors, the institutions, and the public."
While the Jeddah event marked the last competitive outing for the AC40s crewed by the America's Cup sailors, the high-speed foiling machines will be converted to an LEQ12 format from January for testing and training ahead of the delivery of the AC75 which they will race in the Cup itself.
The Youth and Women's America's Cup teams will race the AC40s, restored to their original configuration, at their regattas during September and October next year in Barcelona.
The final America's Cup Preliminary Regatta will be raced aboard the AC75s at the end of August 2024 in Barcelona, the prelude to the 37th America's Cup itself.