Spanish skipper Pep Costa to fly the Group VSF colours, new sponsor in the sailing world
by VSF Sports Sailing 27 Jun 2024 09:31 BST
On March 11th, Group VSF launched a call for applications aimed at all sailors, men and women, French or not, looking to skipper a Class40 for 2025, 2026, and 2027. After a selection process and based on objective criteria, the jury of nine members* made its decision.
It is the Spanish skipper, Pep Costa, who will proudly represent Group VSF, the French reference in automotive glazing that brings together three complementary activities: glazing trading (VSF), professional tools (Panther Pro), and training (Glass & Boost).
Starting from the 2025 season, Pep Costa and his partner VSF, making its debut in offshore racing, will participate in a series of European competitions as part of the Class40 calendar, which just celebrated its 20th anniversary.
The Selection
As soon as the call for applications was published, the project managers, the company 4 Winds Strategies, commissioned by Group VSF to manage their sailing project, received a number of calls and emails: "We quickly sensed the interest generated by our proposal. We received nearly 50 applications from talented and highly motivated individuals. We had carefully listed objective criteria to guide our final choice," says Marion Kergot, Team Manager of the VSF sailing project.
The same sentiment is echoed by Sylvie Viant, a pioneering figure in race direction and one of the nine jury members*: "It was complicated! All the applications put forward were good, and the sailors were of high quality. Initially, we each studied the candidates' presentations individually. We had to fill out a table considering various criteria related, of course, to the person's sailing experience, whether solo, double, or crew, and their track record. We also looked at their ability to set up a budget forecast, their commitment to CSR, their level of physical and sporting preparation, etc. Human values also played a part: boldness, leadership, determination, ease of communication, and ability to represent Group VSF... After this initial remote review, we had constructive and open discussions among us, the jury members; finally, we kept a small number of skippers whom we then met physically one by one. The final choice was Pep Costa, a serious, humble, and brilliant young sailor with multiple experiences."
Barcelona Skipper Pep Costa, 25, Selected
After his interview, Pep Costa was invited to participate in a final video call. He didn't know if he would be alone or with other skippers at this meeting or if it would be good news: "My heart started pounding. I was very nervous. I imagined all sorts of scenarios! In the end, it was good news announced by Franck Martin, CEO of Group VSF. It was an exceptional moment. On my screen appeared the project team and VSF Sports managers; I only saw smiling faces, it was incredible. I can hardly believe it! It touches me deeply that a company has faith in me! What a stroke of luck to have the trust of a group like VSF, offering me a fantastic opportunity for the next three years in Class40."
Very happy, Pep Costa, a Spanish skipper born in 1999 in Barcelona and now living in Lorient, holds an engineering degree in physics and mathematics obtained in New York. Pep followed his passion for sailing, passed down by his father, without ever truly having the means to match his ambitions: "Family races in the Mediterranean from a young age, Optimist, 29er, and the revelation of offshore racing during the first Barcelona World Race in 2007. During holidays when I returned from New York where I studied, we restored a Mini with my father, and there I was, launched on the Mini in 2019. Since then, I've done everything I can to sail, learn more and more. A crucial step was the Solitaire du Figaro, of course. An incredible experience for me, with the difficulty of always being on the edge budget-wise. This makes you draw on your mental resources and, ultimately, being worried, you don't compete on equal terms with your competitors.
For two years, I've been looking for funding to have a solid project that allows me to express myself. Not so simple. Instead of staying frustrated, I seized opportunities offered by other skippers in Class40 with Erwan Le Draoulec and Achille Nebout, in Ocean Fifty with Thibaut Vauchel-Camus, or in IMOCA with Yoann Richomme. Besides that, I've worked on weather aspects in major races as part of weather teams for some sailors. I've managed to turn the negative into positive. And today, I'm delighted because it's undoubtedly all this that allows me to carry the colours of Group VSF."
Group VSF's Commitment to Offshore Racing with a Class40 Project
"Pep, along with the selection committee members, we are all very happy to announce that you have been selected. You will be our skipper for the next three years, aboard a Class40 in the colours of Group VSF. The competition was tough and all candidates were talented. Beyond your career and diverse experiences that make you a complete sailor, our decision was enlightened by your brilliant personality in harmony with who we are. All the employees and I warmly welcome you among us," said Franck Martin, CEO of Group VSF, during the final video call with Pep Costa announcing his selection.
Although VSF is well-acquainted with the sports world through its Sport branch, invested in the automotive world since 2021 in the FFSA GT - GT4 France championship, the group based in Loir-et-Cher is now embarking on this new challenge with Pep Costa.
Franck Martin: "With Julien Barrier, (Note: Director of VSF), we are both sports enthusiasts and share its various values. We are convinced that engaging in sports projects will bring a lot to our group in terms of employer branding and our influence locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. We have ambitions for our companies and those who work there.
Investing in the sailing world, in addition to our logical commitment to the automotive world, our core expertise, will allow us to implement communication and public relations actions during races in other territories. It will provide us with certain visibility among a different audience. And of course, we will be thrilled following Pep Costa on our boat. Whether the stories are beautiful or more complicated, there's nothing like shared experiences internally."
The Class40 Circuit for Three Years from 2025 to 2027
From 2025 to 2027, it's on for Pep Costa and the VSF Group teams for three thrilling years with all the European races on the Class40 calendar: those crafted for the 12.18-meter monohulls only, but also major races such as the Transat Jacques Vabre in 2025 and the Route du Rhum in 2026.
In the meantime, VSF Sports Sailing and its skipper are working and building the project step by step, ensuring solid foundations to give the sailor every chance to perform at his best on the water.
Next step: the choice of boat. "We are currently working with Pep and the entire team on all options, whether acquiring a high-performance latest-generation Class40 or constructing a new monohull to be launched in the first half of 2025," concludes Team Manager Marion Kergot.
Find Pep Costa's maritime achievements and experiences - here.
The jury consisted of:
- Franck MARTIN - CEO of Group VSF
- Julien BARRIER - Director of Group VSF
- Franck LEVIEIL - CEO of 4 Winds Strategies
- Marion KERGOT - Team Manager
- Anne COMBIER - Sailing Consultant
- Vanessa BOULAIRE - Class40 Director
- Sylvie VIANT - Sailing Race Director
- Corinne MIGRAINE - French Sailing Federation - Vice-President of Offshore Sailing
- Pierre-Yves LAUTROU - CEO of Tip & Shaft