Azimut Challenge: A Promising 4th Place Just Weeks Before the Vendée Globe

Early this Saturday morning, Team Holcim-PRB gathered at Lorient La Base to welcome their skipper after 48 hours of solo racing.

With just a few weeks left before the Vendée Globe, this competition served as a dress rehearsal for the entire technical team. After an exciting race in varied conditions, Nicolas Lunven secured an impressive 4th place in the Azimut Challenge. This performance offers great promise ahead of the solo round-the-world race, set to start on November 10th.

Valuable lessons before the round-the-world race From the very first hours of racing on Thursday, Nicolas Lunven positioned himself among the leading group, battling fiercely against the latest-generation boats. Forty-eight hours of close racing gave little rest to the solo sailors: 'I’m super happy with my race, it was really great. We’ve been fighting with the same group of boats from the start and throughout the race. It was intense but really interesting, with plenty to learn. We had good weather conditions: wind at the beginning, followed by a calm period, which required a lot of maneuvering and continuous adjustments. We didn’t sleep much, but we didn’t get bored for a second!' said Nicolas upon his arrival at the dock.

This regatta was not only an opportunity to compete against other skippers (20 solo sailors participated), but also to test the latest technical improvements made to the boat during the summer refit. The IMOCA Holcim-PRB was indeed equipped with new foils, which will accompany Nicolas in the Vendée Globe. 'With this type of boat, every outing is a learning experience. It’s even more valuable when you’re up against competitors. We installed new foils two weeks ago, so it was a great opportunity to test them in real conditions against other boats,' explained the skipper, pleased with the performance gains observed.

The Azimut Challenge also served as a dress rehearsal for the entire Holcim-PRB team ahead of the big event. 'I take away many positive points from this race. From a technical standpoint, it was a valuable last rehearsal before the Vendée Globe, but it also strengthened the team’s cohesion. Being in a race configuration, with a perfectly prepared boat, creates a very positive dynamic,' concluded Nicolas Lunven.

After a season start marked by two transatlantic races, this 4th place gives Nicolas and his team a boost in confidence. In a month, the green and blue IMOCA will head to Les Sables d’Olonne, where it will stay until the Vendée Globe’s grand departure on November 10th.