Sponsorship

Presentation
2011 Races
Pictures

BERNARD CONTROLS & Jean-Pierre Nicol ready for the 2011 season!

After a year focusing on making progress in 2010 and a very fine third place in the Irish stage of the Solitaire du Figaro, Jean-Pierre Nicol is back in the French Championship of Offshore Sailing solo-race, sporting the colours of BERNARD CONTROLS, his partner for the past three years.

Beyond an affinity for sailing and the benefits of strong media back-up, the sponsorship package for Jean-Pierre Nicol is synonymous with a means for BERNARD CONTROLS to convey values which it shares on a daily basis : Relationship, Expertise, Loyalty, Innovation, Dedication.

These values, which gathers our employees every day, bring us together once again with Jean-Pierre Nicol.

Supportive partners

This year, two major agents / distributors of BERNARD CONTROLS have decided to take part in Jean-Pierre Nicol's challenge.

JCN, Sao Paulo - BRAZIL

JCN, company founded more than 20 years ago, is nowadays the largest distributor for industrial valves in Brazil, as well as one of the most important for electric actuators.

ISO 9001-2008 certified, JCN gathers more than 40 experts at the service of the following industries: oil & gas, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, steel as well as power generation, mining or sanitation....

Find out more on www.jcn.com.br

Contact: jcn@jcn.com.br

YOO SHIN, Seoul - SOUTH KOREA

YOO SHIN is one of BERNARD CONTROLS' international agents/distributors in Asia. Located in South Korea and specialist in oil and gas applications, YOO SHIN offers total solutions for valve automation.

Find out more on www.yooshineni.com

Contact: yooshineni@empal.com

This year, Jean-Pierre Nicol competes for his 5th season of the French Championship of Offshore Sailing Solo-race; the 3rd one with Bernard Controls as a sponsor.

Three major races will take place in the following months and thus determine the final ranking of the 2011 season.

Generali Solo, from 1 to 21 June 2011

Missing from the Figaro Bénéteau Class' racing schedule for several seasons, the Generali Solo is making its big comeback this year. Between Marseille, Leucate and Hyères/Porquerolles, the solo sailors will spend a month crossing swords in the Mediterranean, where they are sure to make a splash between grands prix and offshore races spanning an average of 250 miles. Renowned for being both technical and difficult with an abundance of obstacles, this event will certainly have what it takes to satisfy the rounded racer that Jean-Pierre Nicol is. Very familiar with this race zone, having trained here year round, this Generali Solo is made for him.

www.generali-solo.com

Solitaire du Figaro, from 29 July to 28 August 2011

With a 1,695 mile course between the English Channel, the Atlantic and the Irish Sea, the 2011 vintage of the Solitaire du Figaro promises to be first-rate for the solo sailors taking part.

The 320 miles that make up the first stage between Perros Guirec and Caen will serve as a tough introduction for the competitors, who will have to escape the various pitfalls and currents along the coastline of France's Côte d'Armor region. Once clear of land they can go and'play' along the British coastline, before setting a course for the Baie de Seine in North-East France.

Act 2 sets out from Normandy on a 470 mile battle to the only overseas stopover of this 2011 edition of the Solitaire du Figaro. After a coastal course along the shores of the Cotentin and as far as the Cap de la Hague, competitors will head towards Land's End, at the South-West tip of England, then on to Ireland and Dun Laoghaire situated to the South-East of Dublin.

The third leg will span some 475 miles between the Emerald Isle and Les Sables d'Olonne on France's Atlantic coast, via what will always be a tricky negotiation of the North-West tip of Brittany and the passage of the islands of Groix, Belle-Ile-en-Mer and Yeu.

Finally, it's between the Vendée region and Dieppe that the event's epilogue will be written, after a rounding of Brittany, another passage of the Raz Blanchard and a finish which, some two years ago, had some nasty surprises in store for a number of sailors, who remained trapped beneath the Norman cliffs. Again something rather special to consecrate an exceptional sailor and enable Jean-Pierre Nicol to express the true range of his talent.

www.lasolitaire.com

Quiberon Solo, from 24 to 30 September

The final event of the French Solo Offshore Championship 2011, it's during the Quiberon Solo that the title as well as the Top Ten listing will be decided. It will involve some'windward-leeward' courses over two days, which will be awarded a coefficient 1. In addition to this, a Tour de Belle-Ile counts for two points and a Grande Course (Major Race) scores three points in the drawing up of the final ranking. As such, the Quiberon Solo will have something for everyone and will give as much importance to the exercise of round the cans racing as it does offshore racing. It's the perfect format for Jean-Pierre Nicol who will be performing on home waters... Any competition should take heed!

www.sailingone.com