THE FRENCHMAN LOÏCK PEYRON HOTLY PURSUED BY ALINGHI

Valencia has welcomed the eight Champions of the 19^th Trophée Clairefontaine with a beautiful sun and a perfect Force 3 wind. Eight legs have been raced this afternoon in the heart of the Marina Real Juan Carlos 1^st, the port of the 2007 America's Cup. As a prelude to the official legs starting tomorrow, the crews have raced the Warm-up Rhodia as a "dress rehearsal" before the main nautical show. Loïck Peyron won the big prize, just in front of the stems of the Swiss Luc Dubois (Alinghi Red) and the American Ed Baird (Alinghi Black).

Loïck Peyron won two of the eight legs raced today, exactly like Luc Dubois. But the Frenchman was more regular, finishing three times second and twice third. The fratricide fights between the two Alinghi crews finished with the two crews having exactly the same number of points at the end. Ed Baird won two legs and his other results were well balanced compared to the results of the Swiss. According to the rules, the ranking of the last regatta decided between the two teams. Loïck Peyron won this last leg, Luc Dubois finished second and Ed Baird eighth.

The Frenchman Michel Desjoyeaux, fourth, won one leg, as well as the Spanish Fernando León. But the two crews were frequently penalized. The Frenchman during the regattas and the Spanish, who finished sixth as he, many times, crossed the starting line before the official start.

The Frenchman Nicolas Charbonnier, just arriving from the Olympic Games with a Bronze Medal in 470, discovered this nautical show he is invited to for the first time. His starts were good but a lack of consistency did not allow him to threaten today's best crews. Nevertheless, Nicolas Charbonnier finished fifth today.

The Frenchman Jean-Pierre Dick was penalized several times, particularly when the eight catamarans competed with each other by zigzagging along the access canal to the sea. That's where the Sailing Stadium forces the crews to do manoeuvres after manoeuvres very quickly in order to round the Buoy Quo Vadis, the first mark of the course. Jean-Pierre Dick finished seven of this warm-up, just in front of the Frenchwoman Claire Leroy, who also discovered this kind of regattas for the first time.

Tomorrow, the official competition will start in front of the Valencia beach with an Open Race, rewarded by the Challenge Quo Vadis and the Copa Valencia Yacht Base, name given after the super yachts Harbour of the Real Club Naútico de Valencia. After a paella break at the Valencia Yacht Base, the eight crews will come back to the port to race the five Runs with live commentaries for the public. Each starting signal will be preceded by an operatic aria in order to add emotion to those intense regattas.