Big Challenge for Orma 9 Telecom Champion Title

by Catherine Ecarlat/Nikki R-H on 4 Oct 2000 This coming Friday, multihull enthusiasts Yvan Bourgnon, Franck Cammas, Alain Gautier, Marc Guillemot and Jean Luc Nelias will take on their last battle of the season of the ORMA Championship. They will welcome a newcomer to the circuit, Jean Le Cam. With his trimaran of the “latest generation”, he will surely add a bit of spice to this final race which will be held at Royan, France from October 6-8, 2000. Franck Cammas and Marc Guillemot will be fighting for the title of ORMA 9 Telecom Champion.
La Trinitaine triumphed the scoreboard until Groupama magnificently won the Quebec-Saint Malo transatlantic race and the Grand Prix in Fécamp (winning 6 out of 8 legs). May we remind our readers that Marc Guillemot was well in the lead of the Quebec-Saint Malo race when the wind betrayed him only a few miles from Saint Malo, forcing him to finish behind Franck Cammas. Then, at the Grand Prix in Fécamp, the duo Franck Cammas/Bertrand Pacé (ranked n°1 in the World Match Race Rankings) was unbeatable. Guillemot now holds on to second place in the overall rankings.

Only Guillemot and Cammas can claim victory since Alain Gautier (Foncia) is 21 points behind Biscuits La Trinitaine. Cammas is full of energy and confidence since his last two victories and Guillemot is geared up for a showdown since he lost the last two … The battle should be spectacular !

« Groupama is the most functional traimaran in the fleet. The crew is as excellent at offshore races as in Grand Prix racing. It is not surprising that we are in the lead. We have to prove this one last time at the Grand Prix in Royan, in particular to La Trinitaine which is the only competitor who can deprive us of the Championship victory.” Franck Cammas exclaimed.

The other skippers are not to be forgotten in this event where fast maneuvering and tactical finesse are of prime importance. Alain Gautier aboard his Foncia is also determined to do better since his misfortune at Fecamp (broken boom). Yvan Bourgnon aboard Bayer en France has really come around and is capable of pulling off a few wins. Jean Luc Nélias aboard Belgacom is never behind. Last but not least, Jean Le Cam, former Figaro racer, will be showing off his brand new trimaran “Bonduelle” and will stimulate rivalry …

« This boat is the first of a new series. It is going to be interesting to actually see the results of the choices made by Le Cam and his architects. I love competition » declared the skipper of Groupama on that matter.

Do not miss this battle « amongst friends » from October 6-8 which will be broadcasted live on internet.

Provisional General Ranking of the Orma-9 Telecom Championship
(after four races : GP at La Trinité/mer, Europe1 New Man Star, Quebec-Saint Malo, GP at Fecamp)
1-Franck Cammas- Groupama (60 points)
2-Marc Guillemot-Biscuits La Trinitaine (56 points)
3-Alain Gautier-Foncia (35 points)
4-Jean-Luc Nélias-Belgacom (26 points)
5-Yvan Bourgnon-Bayer en France (21 points)

Points Distribution during a Grand Prix :
1st : 10 points
2nd : 6 points
3rd : 4 points
4th : 3 points
5th : 2 points
6th : 1 point