La Roche-Posay Racing Team kicks off the 38th America’s Cup in Naples. As the first team to launch its AC75 in the bay that will host the competition in 2027, the French Challenger marks a major milestone in its campaign. Following an initial period of sailing in Lorient this summer, the team is continuing its preparations with an AC75 adapted to the rules for the 38th America’s Cup and a strengthened line-up. A new phase of sporting and technological development is now under way for La Roche-Posay Racing Team, which is determined to establish the French challenge among the world’s leading teams.
First AC75 launched in Naples: a landmark moment for the French Challenger
At 14:00 on Monday 19 October, La Roche-Posay Racing Team launched its AC75 in front of an audience of partners, guests and media. Moments later, the foiling monohull set off on its first sail in the Bay of Naples, with Mount Vesuvius as its backdrop. A spectacular setting, but above all a symbolic one: these are the very waters where the 38th America’s Cup will be contested in 2027.
For the French challenge, this first launch in Naples is much more than a ceremony. It represents the culmination of several months of preparation and marks the beginning of a new phase on the water. As the first team to bring its AC75 to the future race venue, La Roche-Posay Racing Team is now getting down to business.
Sporting the colours of its title partner, La Roche-Posay, the nearly 23-metre AC75 has been adapted to meet the requirements of the 2027 rules. With the team already established in Naples, it can now build up its sailing programme, put technical developments to the test in real conditions and accelerate its progress.
Quentin Delapierre, skipper of La Roche-Posay Racing Team: “Seeing our AC75 on the water here in Naples is a very special moment for the whole team. We’re on the very waters where the America’s Cup will take place in just a few months, and suddenly everything feels much more real. An enormous amount of work has gone into getting the boat on the water, with so many people giving their all to make it possible for us to be here today. As skipper, I feel a real sense of pride in representing this French challenge. Now, more than anything, we want to get out sailing, get this boat foiling and make the most of this adventure all the way through to 2027.”
The countdown is on: six months to raise the bar
On the water, the challenge is immense. The America’s Cup is a competition like no other, where sailing talent, technological expertise and the ability to improve quickly make all the difference. Every day on the water counts.
Under the sporting leadership of two-time America’s Cup winner Philippe Presti, the French team has strengthened its line-up with two Olympic champions, Diego Botín and Florian Trittel, who join Quentin Delapierre and the team’s other talented sailors.
Preparations centre on three complementary areas: sailing, performance analysis and development, and simulation. Alongside these, the team is focusing specifically on match racing and finding the most effective crew combinations. The aim is to turn every outing on the water into measurable progress, in a race against time ahead of the 2027 competition.
Philippe Presti, La Roche-Posay Racing Team Sports Director: “We’ve shown in the AC40 that we can compete with the best on equal terms, and that’s very encouraging. But the America’s Cup is also a technological competition, where boat development plays a decisive role. The next six months will be crucial in unlocking the full potential of our AC75 and continuing to improve. We’ve strengthened our team and we still have plenty of room for improvement. Our ambition is to take a significant step forward from Barcelona and fight for a place in the final four, which would be a historic achievement for a French Challenger.”
Maelenn Lemaître, strategist aboard La Roche-Posay Racing Team’s AC75: “What drives me most is the desire to become better every day and to learn quickly. This is my very first America’s Cup, and I’m discovering and learning so much on a daily basis. There are plenty of challenges, both technological and sporting, but the biggest challenge is time. It’s a real race against the clock. My personal challenge is to absorb all this new knowledge as quickly as possible so that I can bring my skills as a match racing tactician and engineer to the team and perform at my best during the America’s Cup.”
Diego Botín, helmsman of La Roche-Posay Racing Team: “The America’s Cup has always appealed to us. When the opportunity came to join the French Challenger, we were immediately drawn to the people behind the project and the way it’s been put together. It’s a close-knit team where everyone is fully committed and pulling in the same direction. That sense of unity and collective energy are real strengths. We have a boat with enormous potential, and we can’t wait to discover just what it’s capable of.”
La Roche-Posay: turning competition into an open-air laboratory
The launch also marks the French AC75’s first appearance on the waters of Naples sporting the colours of the team’s title partner, La Roche-Posay.
Beyond its presence on the boat, the brand has established a scientific programme with the sailors of the French Challenger. Launched last August at the Chevilly laboratory, the medical protocol involves dermatological monitoring of the athletes throughout the campaign, through to Naples 2027.
Alexandra Reni-Catherine, CEO of La Roche-Posay: “Seeing the French AC75 bearing the colours of La Roche-Posay in Naples marks the beginning of an adventure we’ve been preparing for with the whole team. The America’s Cup is an environment that places extreme demands on the men and women competing, as well as on their skin, which is exposed to UV rays, salt, wind and sudden changes in temperature. That’s why we’re here: to turn it into a true open-air laboratory. Through the medical protocol we’ve launched with the sailors of La Roche-Posay Racing Team, we’re monitoring their skin throughout the campaign, in extreme conditions. We have two shared ambitions for this 38th America’s Cup: to help the team achieve the highest possible level of performance, and to turn what we learn on the water into protection and skincare that can benefit us all, beyond the competition.”
From Barcelona to Naples: the French challenge enters a new era
This launch also tells another story: that of a French Challenger which, for the first time, is able to build on the foundations of a previous campaign.
Following Barcelona 2024, K-Challenge retained its AC75, its infrastructure and part of its team. This continuity is essential in a competition where years of experience and development provide a considerable advantage.
This ambition is accompanied by a historic step forward off the water. Led by Stephan Kandler, K-Challenge is now one of the five founding members of the America’s Cup Partnership (ACP), alongside Emirates Team New Zealand, GB1 (Athena Racing), Luna Rossa and Tudor Team Alinghi. For the first time, the French Challenger has a direct role in the governance and decisions that will shape the future of the competition, with the aim of building a more stable, more attractive and financially sustainable model, notably through two-year cycles.
Stephan Kandler, CEO of K-Challenge / La Roche-Posay Racing Team: “With this new campaign, we’re taking an important step forward in France’s history in the world’s oldest sporting competition. For the first time, we’ve been able to build on a previous campaign, retaining our expertise, our resources and our experience to create a stronger project. Seeing our AC75 here in Naples today is a significant moment, but above all it marks the beginning of a new phase in our ambition. We want to establish France firmly among the world’s leading teams and build a platform capable of winning the America’s Cup one day.”
Image – La Roche-Posay Racing Team’s AC75 sailing in the Bay of Naples / Copyright – Nicolas Touzé / La Roche-Posay Racing Team