Nice performance for François Gabart and his crew. At the helm of the Trimaran SVR-Lazartigue, they won the 50th Rolex Fastnet Race on Sunday July 23, in 1 day 08 hours 38 minutes and 27 seconds. They improved by 36 minutes and 27 seconds the previous record for this legendary race between Cowes (England) and Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, previously held by Charles Caudrelier and Franck Cammas on the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild in 2021.
Relaunched on May 26, the giant, 32 meters long by 23 meters wide, once again showed its capabilities in tough conditions. A great collective performance a few months before the Transat Jacques Vabre in which François Gabart and Tom Laperche will participate for the second time as a pair.
“I am very happy, said François Gabart when he arrived in Cherbourg on Sunday evening. It’s the Rolex Fastnet Race and it’s a victory. We’ve been waiting for it for a while. I am very happy to win it with the whole team and to give it to this boat which was launched two years ago. I believe it’s the right time and it’s going to be the start of many victories in the coming months and years. It was not easy during the first hours of the race with a very strong headwind. I was worried about the boat at the time but the return from the Fastnet to here was downwind and we were flying all the time. We have always been in contact with Banque Populaire, we could follow them at the AIS. It put a lot of pressure on us. I am very happy to take this victory with a crew and of course with Tom (Laperche). It’s always reassuring. It shows that the boat has the potential. There is finally a victory, after two years, and now, it is necessary to chain them, it is the objective. »