French enter America’s Cup
After months of rumours, a French team entered the 2024 America’s Cup led by Bruno Dubois and Stephane Kandler.
The organisers of the 37th America’s Cup officially welcomed the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez and their representative K-Challenge Racing team as an additional challenger over the New Year period.
The 37th America’s Cup will take place in Barcelona next year in the summer, with the French up against established rivals, the British Challenge of Record INEOS Britannia (whose test boat is shown right), the Italian Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team, the New York Yacht Club’s American Magic and the Swiss Alinghi Red Bull Racing team based in Barcelona. The Defender is Emirates Team New Zealand.
CEO of K-Challenge Racing, Stephane Kandler said: “Bruno and I are very excited to join the other challengers. We have been working behind the scenes for almost a year now and we are going to announce great things by the end of this month.”
CEO of AC37 Event Limited Grant Dalton said: “It is great to have the French now back in the America’s Cup as the 5th Challenger, and one that will no doubt bring a lot of typical character and flair to what is lining up to be a stunning event in Barcelona.
“France is such a prominent sailing nation but despite this, it is not a small undertaking to get an America’s Cup team up and running, so I congratulate Stephane, Bruno and the Société nautique de Saint-Tropez who have been working away tirelessly to get to this point.”
K-Challenge, that last challenged for the America’s Cup for the 32nd edition in Valencia in 2007, will announce more details soon.
