Sailing: François Gabart takes legal action, the last resort to participate in the Route du Rhum.

Following stalled negotiations with the Ultim class and its competing members, the skipper and owner of the trimaran SVR-Lazartigue are launching legal action before the Paris Court of Justice in order to be able to enter their boat in the class.

Until now, François Gabart's competitors, already present in the class, have deemed the boat non-compliant with the common rules of the category.

The reasons for the disagreement stem in particular from the position of the winches.

For the SVR-Lazartigue team, the trimaran has already undergone verification procedures concluding that it is compliant by the experts and class measurers.

It is now World Wailing, World Sailing Federation, which is in charge of the file to establish the technical diagnoses.

Read alsoRoute du Rhum: "François (Gabart) put himself in a Djokovic-like posture", explains Thomas Coville

The stakes are high.

Unlike last November during the Transat Jacques Vabre in which the SVR-Lazartigue trimaran finished second, no derogation will be possible.

The decision that will be made will make it possible to say whether or not François Gabart can be on the starting line of the next Route du Rhum, on November 6 in Saint-Malo.

Tight timing

It's a short deadline of 6 months to determine participation in this emblematic race and the real red thread of the year 2022 for the Ultim class.

The Paris Court of Justice “accepted a rapid procedure”.

Besides this registration, François Gabart has little time to prepare for sport and few windows to measure himself against his competitors before the transatlantic.

[MEDITERRANEAN TOUR]

Our beautiful blue bird was in Cascais this weekend, one of the feet on the ground of the KRESK group.

Next stop: 📍Barcelona 💙 pic.twitter.com/LvrL93c0Dg

— Trimaran SVR-LAZARTIGUE (@SVRLazartigue) May 10, 2022

This opposition also influences his training program.

It is unlikely that he will be able to participate in an "appetizer" of the Route du Rhum with the start on July 1st in Finistère Atlantique, a new crewed offshore race.

This first edition from Concarneau, home of the SVR-Lazartigue team, is a real training opportunity for the entire Ultim class.

The court decision is expected later this summer.