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2009/10/09-13h19
An armchair for three and Groupama 40 as referee...
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| iShares Cup 2009 in Almeria, Andalusia, from 10th to 12th October 2009 |
| The sixth and final event of the iShares Cup season, the Almeria event promises to be particularly hotly disputed, not to
mention tense, with three Extreme 40s in a position to snatch gold.
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The first of these and the leader since the event in Hyères, Oman Masirah, skippered by Pete Cumming and helmed by
Chris Draper isn't the sort to let itself be taken advantage of. Stablemate to Loïck Peyron, who works at the helm of Oman
Renaissance, Cumming is however gradually losing the benefits of the two months of winter training between the two boats
in the Persian Gulf.
The first to profit from this situation, Gitana Extreme, skippered by Yann Guichard,
is back into the fray with a vengeance. Winner of the first event contested in Venice as well as the most recent event in
Amsterdam, he is now tied on points at the head of the overall rankings with Masirah.
As for Loïck Peyron, never
a winner in this series but always scoring well, he has just a one point deficit on them.
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In these conditions suffice to say that it's the outcome in Andalusia, which will designate the winner of the iShares Cup
2009.
That is, unless one very specific situation arises: for Peyron to be the outright winner, he will have to let
in one competitor between himself and Masirah or Gitana Extreme. And if you think about it, it's Groupama 40 who appears to
be in a position to play the spoilsport. Third in the last two events in Kiel and Amsterdam, Franck Cammas and his crew are
increasingly bringing the one design catamaran under control.
Indeed, even though they are a fraction off the pace
in light conditions, Cammas, Cariou, Briand and Le Maistre are keen to inscribe Groupama's name on the podium in this
up-and-coming one design series: "It's true that we could reap the benefits of the battle amongst the others. However
the racing is always very tight and the wind isn't forecast to be very strong. What is evident though is that it's going to
be hot, both literally and figuratively given the glorious Andalusian sunshine" concludes Franck Cammas.
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