Waiting 17 years for 52 SUPER SERIES win

Jean-Luc Petithuguenin’s French team on Paprec secured their first ever regatta win on the 52 SUPER SERIES, topping 13 teams on July 21-25 at the Marina Rubicón Lanzarote 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week in Canary Islands, Spain. This was the third event of the season for the world’s leading Grand Prix monohull circuit.

In some ways victory is especially sweet for the French team who came within one point of winning the 2025 Rolex TP52 World Championship in similarly breezy conditions in Cascais, Portugal but lost out to American Magic Quantum Racing.

The French team has Loick Peyron calling tactics and Vendée Globe runner up Yoann Richomme as navigator for his first time, triumphing by two points ahead of Alkedo and five ahead of Sled.

Paprec were one of the first teams to join the 52 SUPER SERIES back in 2012 and Petithuguenin has been one of the most passionate supporters of the circuit. The team has made notable upwards progress since Peyron joined in 2024.

“I have been waiting for the last 17 years to win at the end of a TP52 regatta and I am so happy,” shared Petithuguenin. “You can’t realize. You know I started with nothing. I start with my family 30 years ago at my first regatta. And so for me it’s something, incredible for me, a small French team from Brittany.

“Being able to win against all these stars, all these guys, the very best level in the world of sailing. It’s so amazing. I’m so happy. And you know that it’s going to cost me a lot because I promise to have container of champagne when I come back to Lanzarote – there will be champagne for everyone!”

An emotional project manager and mainsheet trimmer Stephane Névé blinked back a tear. “It was too much emotion for me after we passed the finish line,” he said. “I mean, just thinking that our first race in the TP52 was in 2009 and we have been waiting 17 years for this win.”

Final Results
1. Paprec (FRA), Jean-Luc Petithuguenin, 2+1+1+4+9+5+2 = 24
2. Alkedo Vitamina (ITA), Andrea Lacorte, 7+3+3+3+2+3+5 = 26
3. Sled, Takashi Okura, 1+2+6+1+3+8+10 = 31
4. Platoon Aviation (GER), Harm Müller-Spreer, 6+5+9+6+5+1+1 = 33
5. No Way Back (NED), Pieter Heerema, 5+7+5+9+7+2+9 = 44
6. Trinity Racing (SWE), Joakim Sundberg, 12+4+10+8+1+7+4 = 46
7. Alpha + (HKG), Shawn & Tina Kang, 3+8+2+2+8+12+14(DNF) = 49
8. Alegre (GBR), Andy Soriano, 4+9+8+10+4+4+11 = 50
9. Vayu (THA), Whitcraft Family, 9+6+11+5+12+6+6 = 55
10. Provezza (TUR), Ergin Imre, 11+12+4+7+10+10+8 = 62
11. Crioula (BRA), Eduardo & Renato Plass, 14(DNS)+11+7+11+11+9+3 = 66
12. Teasing Machine (FRA), Eric de Turckheim, 10+10+14(DNF)+12+6+11+7 = 70
13. Gladiator (GBR), Tony Langley, 8+13+14(DNS)+14(DNS)+14(DNS)+14(DNS)+14(DNS) = 91

52 SUPER SERIES 2026 (After 3 of 5 events)
1. Sled, Takashi Okura, 42+47+31 = 120 pts
2. Platoon Aviation (GER), Harm Müller-Spreer, 51+53+33 = 137
3. Alkedo Vitamina (ITA), Andrea Lacorte, 58+56+26 = 140
4. Paprec (FRA), Jean-Luc Petithuguenin, 72+61+24 = 157
5. No Way Back (NED), Pieter Heerema, 52+69+44 = 165
6. Trinity Racing (SWE), Joakim Sundberg, 73+49+46 = 168
7. Alpha + (HKG), Shawn & Tina Kang, 67+55+49 = 171
8. Provezza (TUR), Ergin Imre, 56+71+62 = 189
9. Crioula (BRA), Eduardo & Renato Plass, 59+76+66 = 201
10. Alegre (GBR), Andy Soriano, 90+72+50 = 212
11. Vayu (THA), Whitcraft Family, 86+73+55 = 214
12. Teasing Machine (FRA), Eric de Turckheim, 83+82+70 = 235
13. Gladiator (GBR), Tony Langley, 59+88+91 = 238
14. Caballo Loco (BRA), Mauro Dottori & Fabio Cotrim, 100+102+98 = 300
15. Vudu (ITA), Mauro Gestri, 135+126+98 = 359
16. Katana (USA), John Huhn,125+144+98 = 377

Series information – YouTube – Facebook

2026 52 SUPER SERIES
May 5-9 – Mallorca, Spain
June 15-20 – Sardinia, Italy (World Championship)
July 21-25 – Canary Islands, Spain
August 24-29 – Canary Islands, Spain
October 5-10 – Valencia, Spain

The 52 SUPER SERIES was established in 2012 and is considered the world’s leading grand prix monohull yacht racing circuit. The circuit grew from the ashes of the TP52 MedCup which hit the stops in 2011 when the principal sponsor withdrew.

Source: 52SS