Fuente info Scuttlebutt europe
Class40 World Championship
Asturias, Spain: Gijon (Asturias, Spain) will be the Class40 meeting point with the yearly Class40 World Championship. After Tanguy De Lamotte for the 2008 Championship on Novedia - S.E.T. Environnement (Rogers design), Ned Collier-Wakefield is the 2009 titleholder on Concise.
Ned will be the one to beat, facing the 15 teams of challengers expected at the 2010 World Championship.
Fifteen teams have registered: : the Spaniards Gonzalo Botin (Tales Villa Esperanza) and Anna Corbella (Aux filles de l'eau), Dutch Roeland Franssens (Moonpalace), South African Nick Legatt (Phesheya Racing), the German Mathias Blumencron (Red), From Great Britain, Peter Harding (40 degrees) and Ned Collier Wakefield (Concise 2), from France Christian Chardonnal (Neurodon.fr/Espoir en tete), Jean-Edouard Criquioche (Groupe Picoty), Thomas Ruyant (Courrier Dunkerque), Patrice Bougard (Kogane), Samuel Manuard (Vecteur Plus), Thierry Bouchard (Mistral Loisirs), Marc Lepesqueux (Marie Toit) and Louis Burton (Spirit aux filles de feu).
Some newcomers will have to be watched closely, ready to take everyone by surprise facing Ned Collier Wakefield. Winner of the last Charente-Maritime/Bahia Transat 6,50 on a prototype, Thomas Ruyant won the Normandy Channel Race as soon as he arrived in this class. Thomas is coming to get some experience in Class40 before the Route du Rhum.
Also to be watched closely: Sam Manuard. The well-known designer will be on board the BM40 designed with Bert Mauri. Anna Corbella, 13th on Prototypes and 1st woman during the last Charente-Maritime/Bahia Transat 6,50, is preparing for the Barcelona World Race that she will run with Dee Caffari on a 60-feet monohull.
The regatta should be very interesting as well since it will feature very different designs on water. The Pogo 40 (Pascal Conq) will be the most represented at sea with 3 crews on the 1st version, 1 version S, and 1 version S2. There will be, as well, 3 Akilaria (Lombard) with one RC2. Besides, there will be one 1 design Lombard prototype, 1 Jaz 40 MKII (Owen Clarke design), 1 Tyker 40 Evolution (Marin / Verdier), 1 Jumbo 40 (Rolland), 1 OCD40 (Owen Clarke Design), 1 design JPK 40 (Valer) and BM40 (Manuard/Berti).
http://www.mundial-40-gijon.com/
