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Cammas wins Grand Prix de Lorient

Groupama and Fujicolor in battle during a tough second day

LONDON, England -- Franck Cammas in Groupama won the Grand Prix de Lorient by one point from Loick Peyron's Fujicolor after gale-force winds led to the cancellation

of the final day of racing on Sunday.

The race committee, worried about the weather forecast, had run four races on Saturday so an overall result could be made.

The duel between experienced skippers Peyron and Cammas dominated the Grand Prix.

Cammas, winner of the Route du Rhum in 2001 and the Orma 60ft circuit for the last two years, narrowly beat Peyron on the first race 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 private battle to take each take two wins and two seconds.

The four races made for a long and tiring day for the crew of these ultra fast 60 foot racing trimarans which revelled in the 18 to 20 knot westerly wind.

All nine trimarans made it out to the 10.30am Saturday 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 new boats.

Lalou Roucayrol on Banque Populaire and Jean Le Cam in Bonduelle both 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.

Windy conditions for the first regatta of the season meant that the older and better prepared boats and more experienced crews stayed on top.

Just four of the seven new boats joining the Orma 60 circuit this season were at the Grand Prix due to construction delays.

British solo yachtswoman Ellen MacArthur's comments from onboard Foncia 2 with Alain Gautier were typical of all the new boats.

"We were lucky to survive yesterday. We had the daggerboard out of the water twice -- very very close to the edge."

"There is no question the new boat is fast, but we have a lot of work to do on the deck layout and systems for a Grand Prix style race," added MacArthur.

Three new boats expected to be ready by late May are Benjamin de Rothschild's Gitana to be sailed by Lionel Lemonchois, Michel Desjoyeaux's Geant and Thomas Colville's Sodebo.

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

Overall Results Grand Prix du Pays de Lorient Race