Arkema renews its commitment to sailing
by Arkema 21 Apr 2018 09:52 BST
Arkema's fleet © Vincent Olivaud / Team Arkema Lalou Multi
For the past five years, Arkema has had a taste for ocean racing with its trimaran Multi50, which won the Transat Jacques Vabre race last November in particular.
The exclusive partner of Lalou Roucayrol's Lalou Multi team, Arkema shows off its colors on two distinct circuits, the Multi50 and the Mini 6.50 categories, thanks to innovative and high-performance boats built from materials developed from its own technologies. The Group has now decided to build a new Multi50 to be ready for launch in 2020 and with its sights set on the Route du Rhum 2022.
Won over by the human and technological dimensions of ocean racing, Arkema thus commits to the Multi50 and Mini 6.50 circuits for a further four years. Building on what has been achieved since 2013, the Group has decided to bolster its partnership, and announces the construction of a new, latest generation 50 ft trimaran, with the aim of incorporating into the new boat the materials and innovative solutions developed by its R&D and of being ready for the Route du Rhum 2022 race.
Meanwhile, the Mini 6.50 Arkema 3 prototype, built by a revolutionary process using the recyclable thermoplastic resin Elium®, will continue on its great adventure. This laboratory boat will undergo constant changes to continue testing Arkema products in real-life conditions, as will be the case with the future Multi50.
Thierry Le Hénaff, Arkema Chairman and CEO:
"I am delighted to be able to continue this human and technological adventure embodied in our commitment to sailing. Arkema and Lalou Multi have established an original partnership, combining innovation and performance in the unique world of ocean racing. Quite apart from sporting results, this represents a superb technological showcase that enables us to project our materials and the Group's expertise on the oceans of the globe. It is with these considerations in mind that we have decided to build a new trimaran."
Lalou Roucayrol, Skipper of Multi50 Arkema:
"Since the outset of our collaboration in 2013, the Arkema Group has been won over by every facet of this project. Lalou Multi and Arkema share the same values, be they human, technical, or associated with innovation, performance and transmission of knowledge. The renewal of this partnership involves the construction of a new 50 ft trimaran, Arkema 4, in which these values once again will take on their full meaning."