Monday, May 05, 2008

BMW ORACLE Racing partners with VPLP in design of America’s Cup multihull

[Source: BMW Oracle] Valencia, Spain, 5 May 2008 – The leading French multihull design firm of Van Peteghem Lauriot Prévost (VPLP) is working with BMW ORACLE Racing’s design team in developing its new mulithull boat for the America’s Cup Deed of Gift match, the team confirmed today.

Firm principals Vincent Lauriot Prévost and Marc Van Peteghem are integrated with the BMW ORACLE Racing core design team for the project. VPLP are the lead designers in conjunction with the BMW ORACLE Racing team, led by design coordinator Mike Drummond. BMW ORACLE Racing’s Michel Kermarec heads up the performance prediction and appendage design.

“We are enjoying working with and learning from the vast experience of VPLP in multihulls,” Drummond said. “The French multihull community, in general, are leaders in these yachts and we are benefiting greatly. When we first looked at a multihull in the event of a Deed of Gift challenge, we were impressed with the record of the Groupama series of racing multihulls. Franck Cammas and VPLP designed yachts have been breaking speed records and leading this field, so VPLP was the natural choice.”

Vincent Lauriot Prévost affirmed, “We are delighted to have been chosen by BMW ORACLE Racing to design the new multihull for the 33rd America’s Cup. To be able to integrate our expertise in high performance multihull design with the experienced BMW ORACLE design team, as well as with the construction team in the United States, is exciting and inspiring for VPLP.

“We have always believed that innovation is the key to success, and working in synergy with BMW ORACLE, Franck Cammas, and the Groupama Team is exactly the type of challenge we thrive on. To see a match between these racing giants should be pure adrenalin.”

The BMW Oracle design team for the 33rd America's Cup. Photo copyright Gilles Martin-Raget / BMW Oracle

VPLP at a glance

Vincent Lauriot Prévost and Marc Van Peteghem met at the Southampton College of Higher Education, in the Yacht and Boat Design Section. They created the VPLP office soon after, in 1983. 25 years on, VPLP is the world’s leading multihull design agency. After the success of their first racing trimaran, the company moved to Paris. Thanks to the growing success and demand for their multihulls, VPLP now employs 26 people based in two offices – one in Vannes, at the center of the racing circuit in Brittany, as well as in Paris. VPLP are the only naval architects who specialize and design multihulls for all three sectors of the market: racing trimarans, luxury sailing catamarans and production catamarans in both power and sail.

VPLP’s list of achievements is simply huge, with victories in almost all offshore multihull regattas including the Route du Rhum, Transat Jacques Vabre, OSTAR, and Jules Verne Trophy as well as speed records. VPLP are also involved in special projects such as l’Hydroptère, Groupama 3, and many more.

BMW ORACLE Racing is preparing for the 33rd America’s Cup in a Deed of Gift challenge against the Defender anticipated to take place later this year.

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