Bruno Peyron resume the preparation of The Race, 100 days before the start in Barcelona.

by The Race Event Press Release on 22 Sep 2000 Bruno Peyron took the opportunity of a press meeting organised yesterday to resume the preparation of The Race, 100 days before the start in Barcelona :

1 - The Skippers meeting hold last week-end in Southampton allowed to validate the participation agreements as well as to create a real “team spirit” between the challengers, thanks to entry confirmation of 7 boats.

2 - The challengers :
PlayStation : Steve Fossett will decide within the very next days to
lengthen or not his boat. Scheduled duration of the work : 4, 5 weeks, aiming at changing the gravity centre of the boat and at reequilibrate her width in relation to her future length.

Team Philips, the most audacious challenge, totally in The Race spirit, will be launched Saturday in Totnes, if weather conditions allow to do it with safety.

Club Med will unveil her new bows around 28th September, before continuing her training programme toward England and Portugal.

Code One, which lauching is scheduled around 9th October and Team Adventure launched between 15 and 20th October, will benefit the changes of Grant Dalton catamaran.

Former-Explorer of Bruno Peyron will also start under the name Polpharma Warta. “I'm admiring the work realised by a team so extremely focused, totally supported by whole Poland, devoted to the 3rd Millenium ”. The boat was totally renewed, with a new mast, new rigging, new fittings, etc S

Millennium Challenge, former Enza from Peter Blake, will be launched end of October, with a new mast, ordered by the skipper, the British Tony Bullimore.

Even if one or two challenges are still on study, the organisation decided to focus its efforts on the 7 “giants” already entered.

Bruno Peyron : “These 7 maxi-catamarans will tell the story we're all dreaming of for now 7 years”.

3 - The programme :
First meeting of the fleet, the prologue of The Race/ La Course du Millénaire will be organised the 15, 16 and 17 december in Monaco, a 24 hours lap and a race of 300/350 miles between Monaco and Barcelona.

4 - Trials :
The challengers will be proposed a 6th trial course : round the British Islands. Record to beat hold by Steve Fossett, on Lakota : 5 days, 21 hours, 5 m, 27'. If not, they will have to show the Race committee a course of around 2500 miles, validated by a log-book transmitted by Inmarsat.

5 - Official venue of Finish :
After Barcelona and Monaco, Marseille is now joining the list of the famous official venues of the event. A press meeting will be organised on the old Marseille Harbour, next 3 October, presenting the social events related to the arrival of The Race in the Phocean city.