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Cammas edges ahead in Lorient

Groupama and Fujicolor in battle during a tough second day

LONDON, England -- Franck Cammas in Groupama was one point ahead of fellow Frenchman Loick Peyron's Fujicolor after the second day of the Grand Prix du Pays de Lorient in Brittany.

With strong gale force winds forecast to prevent racing on the final day on Sunday the race committee decided to take an opportunity with the weather and run four races on Saturday.

This made for a long and tiring day for the crews of these ultra fast 60-foot racing trimarans which revelled in the 18 to 20 knot westerly wind.

Cammas, winner of the Route du Rhum in 2001 and the Orma 60-foot circuit for the last two years, narrowly beat Peyron on the only race sailed on the first day on Friday after Peyron had led for most of the race.

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Peyron has an even more impressive record then Cammas, winning the overall Orma Championship in 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1999.

On day two the two French skippers continued to outclass the opposition, fighting a close duel between themselves all day to take two wins and two seconds each.

All nine trimarans made it out to the start, including Philippe Monnet in the new Marc Lombard-designed Sopra Group, who did not even leave the harbour on Friday.

But in the end both Monnet and Bertrand de Broc in Sopra Group still could not finish a race as they worked through the teething problems with their boats.

Both Lalou Roucayrol on Banque Populaire and Jean Le Cam in Bonduelle managed two third places, but it was the consistent performance of Eric Guillemot in Biscuits La Trinitaine-Team Ethypharm that moved him into third place overall.

Racing is scheduled to end on Sunday.

The 2002 Orma circuit includes the offshore Courses des Phares starting on May 19 in Calais, the Zeebrugge Grand Prix from July 11-14, the Fecamp Grand Prix from September 12-15 and the Route Du Rhum single-handed in St. Malo on November 10.

Trimaran Grand Prix du Pays de Lorient Race, provisional overall placing after five races