Class 40 thriller to kick off the season: 1000 Milles des Sables: Raised fists, drawn faces

This is how you can enter a new performance class: Corentin Douguet only needed 5 days, 3 hours, 39 minutes and 3 seconds to secure victory in the second edition of the 1000 Milles des Sables. And that in his first Class 40 regatta! The Figaro champion made it exciting, because only 16 minutes and 49 seconds after him, the furious former Mini-Transat king and Class 40 attacker Ian Lipinski steered his "Crédit Mutuel" across the finish line with a raised fist. A further 14 minutes later, Axel Tréhin raced to the finish on "Project Rescue Ocean". That's how exciting the final phase of the season opener was for the best Class 40 skippers, who are heading for a very special highlight this summer: The first Class 40 World Championship in ten years will take place from 13 to 18 June! For the first time since 2012, the crown for the world's best will be up for grabs off La Rochelle. The event will be organised by the Grand Pavois Organisation (GPO), which is also responsible for the French Grand Pavois La Rochelle boat show and the Defí Atlantique Class 40 transatlantic race.

At the 1000 Milles des Sables, you could already sense the spirit of optimism that accompanies the Class 40s on their continuing upward trajectory. Winner Corentin Douguet, known as a masterful Figaro sailor, had already taken the lead at the La Curuña waypoint on Monday, but still had to endure anxious phases of pushing the fleet back together in lighter winds. His comment at the finish sounded accordingly: "The end was complicated to handle. It was hard to imagine in my head that I had already come so far, but that it could have gone down the drain in the end. I never panicked, but admittedly I was angry with myself at some point when Ian overtook me again on the last morning. Despite everything, I managed to refocus straight away and find the solution to catch up with him again. Then I never let go of the thing." For the 47-year-old Douguet, it was also the first regatta on the Class 40 "Quéguiner - Innoveo" after 15 years in the demanding Figaro racing circus.

"I couldn't have wished for anything better at the start"

"I didn't expect such a thunderous performance, but of course it's nice," said the winner, genuinely pleased. At the same time, he admitted: "It wasn't easy because the young people are good and know their boats well. For my part, I knew that my boat (ed.: with which he only started on 5 January) had potential. I was able to validate a number of technical points and test the boat in different conditions by taking things at my own pace. It worked well. I couldn't have wished for anything better than a win at the start." Douguet carried his Lombard design, a Paridis 40, over the course with such success, and Lombard's praise was immediate: "Corentin Douguet won his first race! Well done!"

"I could only win, I had nothing left to lose"

There could not have been better training for him than a confrontation like this, said the narrowly beaten Ian Lipinski. "I had forgotten how hard it is! I really suffered," said the "Crédit Mutuel" skipper, who had the strain written all over his face at the finish. This rollercoaster ride of emotions on board was also confirmed by third-placed Axel Tréhin: "After passing the Ouest Gascogne waypoint on the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, I got completely out of step and ended up in the red zone. Fortunately, I was able to get some rest before the finale and, all in all, I found myself in the least stressful situation in the leading group, where I could only win but not lose." Fourth-placed Swiss rider Simon Koster congratulated his conquerors at the finish and let them know what their good performance meant: "Last year I started the season with a win. That put a lot of pressure on my shoulders ..." The next meeting of the Class 40 supermen will not be long in coming: the Normandy Channel Race is already on the programme in a month's time. Click here to go to the 1000 Milles des Sables homepage and later to the results (please click!) for the Class 40 and the Ocean Fifties, which were not yet available on Thursday evening. One of them is currently watching the Class 40 hustle and bustle with particular interest, as he wants to get involved in this class himself soon: Lennart Burke's new build is currently under construction in France. The new Pogo 40s4 for the new Hamburg resident is being built by Pogo Structures and is due to be completed in October.