Normandy Channel Race 2020: The love affair with the "Normandy" continues

Le Village de la Normandy Channel Race 2018 © Jean-Marie LIOT / NCR

The presence of the series' top players, gearing up for a record participation?

After a 2019 edition coloured by the post Route du Rhum transition, the 11th edition of the Normandy Channel Race in 2020 will likely see a return to its top form (record participation of 27 boats in 2016 and 2018).

Indeed, the "Normandy" will be the only race of the year's 4 official Class40 championship events to set sail from and return to French shores (the other 3 being The Transat in May, the Atlantic Cup in June and the Quebec - St Malo in July). Moreover, it is the Normandy Channel Race rather than a transatlantic race that will round off the season this year.

As such, the series' top teams have already made their presence in the Normandy Channel Race official, including the winner of the last Transat Jacques Vabre, lan Lipinski (Crédit Mutuel) with Adrien Hardy, on the formidable and much feared No.158, an architectural innovation by David Raison with her famous scow bow, as well as the most recently launched Class40, No.159 skippered by Valentin Gautier and Simon Koster (Banque du Léman), the 4th and latest iteration of the celebrated Mach40 designed by Sam Manuard.

Also fleshing out the official line-up is the No.153 skippered by Luke Berry (Lamotte - Module Création) and a range of new owners, including Italian sailor Andrea Fornaro with the No.123 (former Route du Rhum champion 2014 with Spaniard Alex Pella).

It's also worth noting that the Class40 and Sirius Evenements have renewed their official partnership for another 4-year period (2021/ 2023), which is a testament to the event's strong foothold in the Class40 landscape.

The round the world effect

The launch of the GLOBE40, a double-handed round the world Class40 race (June 2021 / March 2022), with the same organiser as the Normandy Channel Race, is sure to have an effect on the latter's popularity of course.

The enthusiasm for this planetary project, which already boasts around fifteen pre-entries, is giving the second-hand market a real boost (with the construction of one new Class40 already triggered for the event). Furthermore, it is prompting the majority of the round the world candidates to compete in the season's Class40 events, including the NCR, with a view to racking up the miles for both their preparation and their qualification.

The V1D2 yard in Caen, partner to the NCR since its creation, is also central to the technical preparation and race assistance being set up for the GLOBE40. Indeed, the Class40 expertise developed by the Norman yard, together with the experience of its manager Marc Lefebvre in assisting round the world races, will be invaluable going forward.

Firming up the bonds forged with the people of Normandy

The 10th anniversary edition of the event in 2019 was the perfect opportunity to rekindle the event's ties with the people of Caen and Normandy as a whole, culminating with a symbolic and very memorable fireworks display amidst the Class40s in the Vendeuvre basin.

This year, keen to increase the race's appeal among the general public still further, the organisation is working on a major new event, poised to rally together thousands, from offshore racing enthusiasts to those open to meeting with the sailors and their wonderful machines. Watch this space...

Registration at www.normandy-race.com, special rate until 30 March 2020.