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In the lead of the Ocean Fifty fleet since the evening of 12 November in the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe, the Arkema skipper has sailed a superb race ahead of competitors with much more experience in single-handed sailing, including two former winners. Quentin was taking part for the first time in the legendary solo transatlantic race. After a 10-day race including a classic final stretch around Guadeloupe, sailing side by side with Erwan Le Roux, Quentin clinched 2nd place, a mere 18 minutes behind the leader, on Sunday November 20 in Pointe à Pitre. This 30-year old young man, winner of the 2022 Pro Sailing Tour crew event, has done Arkema proud much to the delight of the Group’s 20,000 employees.

10 days of a frenzied race marked by challenging weather conditions. 10 days of an unrelenting Atlantic battle and an outstanding final sprint with Koesio.

And a magnificent second place at the finish.
Thierry Le Hénaff, Arkema Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, is delighted with the skipper’s performance:

“Many congratulations to Quentin Vlamynck for his superb race and second podium place on the Arkema Ocean Fifty trimaran in this Route du Rhum. The Group’s employees are very proud of Quentin’s outstanding sporting performance in his first Route du Rhum. The suspense kept us waiting with bated breath right to the end, with this final sprint after 10 days of racing.

The excellent second place of the
Arkema Ocean Fifty is the culmination of a unique human adventure that has demonstrated the advantage of bringing together teamwork, high standards, passion and technological innovation, all values that are dear to Arkema.”
Quentin gave us his first impressions on arriving in Pointe à Pitre this Sunday:

“It was a great race, a tremendous first for me, I had a lot of fun. But in the end, Erwan (Le Roux)’s experience paid off. My boat is in perfect condition, she is ready to go again, we did a great job with the onshore teams and me at sea. I think that this beneficial relationship helped us achieve an impressive result.

I'm not disappointed because it's Erwan who has won, it wouldn't have been the same if it had been another competitor (he says laughing)! I had some questions at the start in Saint-Malo on how I was going to manage single-handed sailing, and it went really well. Even though the end of the race was hard mentally speaking in the last few miles round Guadeloupe, I never gave up.
I didn't expect to be in the lead all the way. The boat is going well, which proves that everyone has done good work, the Lalou Multi team and Arkema. I thank them all for their support, their trust and their confidence.

I sent Lalou a message just before crossing the finish line, as I had dreamt of bringing him back the cup; indeed he has been on the podium three times (3rd in 2002, 2nd in 2010, 2nd in 2014, editor's note) without ever winning it. Lalou told me that he could now pass the torch on to me.

I have no choice now but to take on the Route du Rhum again. I'm going to be sailing four more years to be even better.”
The Arkema trimaran that has just taken 2nd place in this 2022 edition is the result of intense technical collaboration between the Group and Lalou Multi.

With recyclable resins, new materials, 3D-printed technical components, clean energies, Arkema’s innovative materials are more than ever in the spotlight on this trimaran.

The Elium® thermoplastic resin, for example, was used to manufacture a number of parts, including the crossbeam mould, which was recycled when construction was completed. Other applications include Bostik’s structural adhesives used on the Arkema Ocean Fifty, making a major contribution in terms of light weight, robustness and durability.

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