Guillaume Pirouelle and Jules Ducelier aboard SOGESTRAN-SEAFRIGO have won the 17th CIC Normandy Channel Race after crossing the finish line in Ouistreham at 4.20 pm. The Norman duo completed the 816-nautical-mile course in 3 days, 2 hours and 20 minutes, making it the fastest edition in the race's history. Their average speed exceeded 11 knots.
The victory returns the trophy to Normandy for only the second time in the event's 17-year history. The pair follow Fabien Delahaye and Pierre Leboucher, winners aboard LEGALLAIS in 2024.
Pirouelle and Ducelier took control of the race between Wolf Rock and the Portsall mark off Brittany and held their lead all the way to the finish despite intense pressure from rivals. The race delivered a spectacular passage through some of the English Channel's best-known sailing waters, from the Solent and Cornwall to the Brittany coast, Cap de la Hague and the cliffs of Normandy.
For Pirouelle, 32, the win adds to an impressive offshore racing record that includes victory in the 2019 Tour Voile, the 2025 Transat Café l'Or and this year's TRIN40. He also sailed aboard Sodebo in the Jules Verne Trophy-winning round-the-world campaign last winter. Ducelier, 29, was making his debut in the race. The result follows fourth place in the 2025 Solitaire du Figaro and runner-up spot in the French Solo Offshore Racing Championship.
Despite a smaller fleet of 22 Class40 entries, the 2026 edition featured one of the strongest line-ups in recent years. Only four retirements were recorded, highlighting the fleet's experience and competitiveness.
The battle for the remaining podium places was decided in the closing stages when a powerful squall swept across the finish area.
Pep Costa and Pablo Santurde aboard VSF SPORTS secured second place, finishing 34 minutes behind the winners. Lucas Rosetti and Pierre Brasseur on MACCAFERRI FUTURA completed the podium six minutes later. CUSTOPOL, sailed by Axel Tréhin and Antoine Carpentier, finished fourth after challenging for a podium place until the final miles.
The CIC Normandy Channel Race remains one of offshore racing's most demanding contests, testing crews against strong tides, busy shipping lanes and constantly changing conditions in the waters where modern offshore racing was born.
