Within a month of the announcement that the America’s Cup was to be raced in multihulls, the Peyron brothers announced that they wanted to set up a French challenge to attempt to win the prestigious trophy. That is exactly what they have now achieved. Energy Team, set up around Bruno and Loïck, has been officially registered for the 34th America’s Cup. (Click here to see who else is in the running.)

Energy Team backed by the Yacht Club de France

The team, with the support of the Yacht Club de France, hopes to do all it can to take part in the next two editions and to win the America’s Cup. Bruno Peyron is the project’s general manager, and Loïck is the official skipper of the boats, as well as being in charge of the Design Team.

The AC72 to be built at Multiplast

To fulfil this ambition, Energy Team has signed an exclusive partnership with Multiplast, the boatyard based in Vannes, Brittany, which is one of the international references in the world of multihull construction (Orange I and II, Groupama 3). The Multiplast yard will be reserved for Energy Team. The construction of the first AC72 catamaran will begin here on 1 September with her launch planned for April next year. Yann Penfornis, managing director of the yard, will be coordinating the AC72 design and construction teams, under the supervision of Loïck.

The first AC45, the little sister to the AC72, will be delivered to Energy Team in March, so they may begin training in Auckland.

Training in 17 multihulls

To train and then to race, Energy Team will have at its disposal an impressive fleet of multihulls (17 in all) of all sizes: four Class A boats, four F18s, a D35, an X40, a G-Class (the former Orange II), two AC45s and two AC72s, plus four “F25s”, which are a 1/3 scale model of the AC72s, and which will be used for the America’s Cup.

The Energy Team base, the nerve centre of the project, will be set up on the Atlantic coast of France. It will include three centres: one in Vannes – the Multiplast yard – which will be the construction and technological development base; one in Lorient, which will be dedicated to the AC72 and G-Class catamarans; and finally one in La Baule, which will both be the main training centre for the squad and the operations centre for all the work with partners and the media.

Core members of the team

The core members of the Racing Team are already in place. So far appointed include:

Loïck Peyron, skipper of the AC45 and AC72: 6 times F60 world champion, 8 times F28 Trophy Champion winner
Bruno Peyron: 8 times world ocean records champion, skipper of the G Class, which will be the ambassador for Energy Team
Yann Guichard: helmsman with Loïck Peyron : Extreme 40 world number 2, Member of the French Olympic team
Thierry Fouchier: performance team, the only Frenchman to have won the America’s Cup with BMW Oracle Racing aboard which he was the wing sail trimmer
Jean-Christophe Mourniac: performance team, member of the French Olympic team, one of the world’s top 5 Tornado and F18 racers over the past ten years
Yves Loday: coach for young talent. Former member of the French Olympic team, he was Tornado gold medallist in Barcelona in 1992. He will be joining the team to prepare the “Youth America’s Cup” that the American Defender is launching.

Key dates

26 October 2010 : First announcement made by Loïck and Bruno Peyron
27 January 2011 : The Yacht Club de France becomes the official Yacht Club for the Energy Team challenge
27 January 2011: Energy Team, 6th official challenger
March 2011: Official closing date for registrations
March 2011: Launch of the first Energy Team AC45
June 2011: Start of the AC World Series
April 2012: Launch of the first Energy Team AC72
13 July to 1 September 2013: San Francisco, Louis Vuitton Cup
7 to 22 September 2013: San Francisco, final match

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