TF35 Trophy
Yann Guichard and his team won a thrilling six-team championship in which the ranks closed. In 2025, the season promises to be exciting, with participation on the rise.
There were quite a few fears before the start of the TF35 season. 2024 is a special year, as the Alinghi Red Bull Racing team has decided to leave its foiler in the shed. As was the case in 2003 and 2007, Ernesto Bertarelli has decided to concentrate his energies on the America’s Cup. A choice well understood by the other owners, who didn’t hold back their pleasure despite the absence of a first-rate competitor. It’s true that we might have feared that the battle for the top spots would involve only two or even three teams,” stresses Bertrand Favre, the Master Series of the TF35 class. But we’ve had some hotly contested and often very close races.”
A number of technical and technological advances have gone a long way to explaining this reduction in fleet size. Last winter, major modifications and improvements to the flight control system bore fruit. “The boats are even ‘easier’ to control,” explains Bertrand Favre. But above all, they’re much more reliable, and we’ve had almost no technical problems with the flight controller. This simplification has also somewhat eroded Realteam’s advantage in this area. They were clearly head and shoulders above the others in understanding and using this system in its old version.”
Fewer technical problems mean more sailing days. The teams taking part in the Youth America’s Cup in Barcelona can testify to this, as they were the collateral victims of the disastrous management of the AC40 fleet, which was plagued by technical problems. More fun, less toolbox. That was the watchword for this 100% lake season. All in all, the six teams who took part in the 4th TF35 Trophy were well on the way to success. Bertrand Favre continues: “There was general satisfaction. We had a debriefing after the last Grand Prix, which took place at the SNG from September 20 to 22. What came out of it was that everyone would like to have one more event next year. When competitors want to sail more, it’s a sign of a healthy class!
Sail of Change 8 in shape
TF35S CALL MORE THAN EVER ON THE TECHNICAL SKILLS OF SAILORS
THE TECHNICAL SKILLS OF THE SAILORS DURING THE NUMEROUS MANEUVERS. ©Loris von Siebenthal
It has to be said that, unlike 2023, when Realteam took over, the podium cake was more evenly divided. From the outset, Sail of Change placed its No. 1 boat on the highest step in the opening GP, the TF35 Nyon Cup. Yann Guichard emphasizes the importance of this remarkable start: “That’s what got us believing, and then we followed it up in incredible fashion by winning the two long-distance races, the GenĂšve-Rolle-GenĂšve and the Bol d’Or Mirabaud. Winning the championship is the icing on the cake.
It all came down to the last event of the season. The Realstone Cup for LĂ©man Hope was the litmus test between Realteam, the defending champion, and its most serious rival. It was necessary to be in good form from Friday onwards, as the end of the weekend was truncated by a desperately smooth lake in the absence of wind. On both Saturday and Sunday, not a single race could be run despite the tireless efforts of the race committee, whose quality is recognized far and wide. Friday’s three races were therefore the judges of the 2024 season.
It was enough to put a smile on the face of Guy de Picciotto’s Zen Too team, which scored its first ever TF35 victory. LoĂŻc Forestier, helmsman of a young team, had almost a tremor in his voice. “We’ve put in a lot of hard work this season, with many hours of training, and we’ve been able to make progress throughout the year. It’s really great to finish the season like this and on the final championship podium.” Zen Too finished 3rd, behind RealTeam and Sail for Change 8. Yann Guichard’s team and JĂ©rĂŽme Clerc’s end the year with the same number of points, and are separated by the result of the last Grand Prix.
New momentum in 2025
Having lost his title, Realteam’s Vaud-based helmsman preferred to remain positive. We didn’t have much success over the last weekend,” he says. It’s been a fierce battle all season with Sail of Change 8. That’s good, because it forces us to be better and to question ourselves.” JĂ©rĂŽme Clerc is undoubtedly already thinking about next season, which promises to be even busier, with the return of Alinghi Red Bull Racing and the possible arrival of an eighth team. Art Explorer is for sale, and several potential buyers are in the evaluation phase.
What’s pleasing is that all the teams have made steady progress throughout the season,” analyses Bertrand Favre. There’s no reason why this shouldn’t continue. We’ve seen some very coherent youth projects, and they’ll still be there next season. There may also be some new sailors, because with the end of the America’s Cup, there will be quite a few young people, girls, who will be likely to join a TF35 team with a good knowledge of foiling. All this means that next season will undoubtedly be even more competitive, and the overall level of competition will be even higher.
With eight teams, there would be no reason to worry when it came to launching the 2025 season.