America’s Cup, varata l’imbarcazione AC75 del team francese La Roche Posay

La Roche Posay Racing Team has unveiled its first AC75 racing boat, which will compete in the Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup set to take place in the Gulf of Naples in 2027. The French team is the first to unveil an AC75 and sail in the Gulf of Naples, just 215 days before the race begins. La Roche-Posay Racing Team, representing Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, has spent the summer training in Lorient, in northwestern France, before transporting the AC75 to Napoli via a "Convoi Exceptionnel" to the port of Sète on the south coast of France and then to a truck in Napoli.

The French team's AC75, a twin of Emirates Team New Zealand's 'Taihoro' that won the previous Louis Vuitton 37th America's Cup, arrived in Bagnoli just before the qualifying race and was brought to the new base with a crane. There, it was set up and equipped optimally for the race. The team plans to train throughout the winter in preparation for the Louis Vuitton Cup, which starts on May 22, 2027.

At Bagnoli, La Roche-Posay Racing Team opened their base to the public, welcoming authorities including Deputy Secretary Luigi Sbarra and Napoli Mayor Gaetano Manfredi, as well as the wider America's Cup community who witnessed the boat's unveiling and first outing at sea. The entire sailing team, including skipper Quentin Delapierre, co-rotary sailor Diego Botìn, and trimmers Jason Saunders, Leigh McMillan, Florian Trittel, and Maëlenn Lemaitre, were also present.

Other attendees included team coach Philippe Presti, Amélie Grassi, Enzo Balanger, and Timothé Lapauw. Presti stated, "I'm extremely proud to be here today. When you look at this boat, you see beautiful paintwork, a splendid sponsor, a carbon fiber hull. But what we all see in the shed, in the workshop, are the thousands of hours of hard work needed to create it.

We know the road to the America's Cup will be long. We have eight months to work full-time so that this boat can sail as fast as possible. We were the last to arrive in Barcelona. We are the first to be here in Napoli, and we want to make the most of every hour to make a difference in the end." Dino Falconio, Deputy Commissioner of Bagnoli, said, "It is a great honor to reach this advanced stage in the realization of the base area.

All of this has been made possible by the strong institutional collaboration between the Government, the City of Naples, ACE and Sport and Health, public and private operators, all united by a common collective value. The Commissioner is fully committed to ensuring the success of this important sporting event and to giving a strong boost to the environmental rehabilitation of Bagnoli."

Finally, Luigivalerio Sant'Andrea, Director of Real Estate and Safety Services at Sport and Health, added, "There has been an interinstitutional effort, and in the end, our French friends have managed to launch this boat."