French Paprec top Rolex TP52 World Championship leaderboard in Porto Cervo’s champagne conditions
After four races at the Rolex TP52 World Championship 2026 Porto Cervo it is Jean-Luc Petithugeunin’s French crew on Paprec which has taken the lead after a very solid day, winning one race and taking third in the next to lead the 15 boat fleet by two points.
But while Jean-Luc Petithuguenin’s crew had their best day of their 2026 season so far it was only bettered by the Hong Kong boat of Shawn and Tina Kang, Alpha Plus who paired together a first and a second in the light sea breeze conditions.
In the record sized fleet consistency is proving very elusive and in the settled breezes on a relatively one sided track it is hard to recover places after any mistakes or a less than perfect start. A more pronounced shift to the right on the second race allowed some notable recoveries not last for Pieter Heerema’s Dutch flagged team which was down in 15th at one point but came back to an eighth, four places ahead of Day 1 leader Sled.
Alpha Plus are a great mix of experience and youth. With an afterguard including Ado Stead and Ian Moore – both past TP52 world champions – augmented by lynchpins like double America’s winner Craig Monk, they are complemented by youthful 28 year old helm Nick Egnot-Johnson and young Luke Van Der Kamp their project manager. Alpha Plus have their third in Puerto Portals last year as their high water mark so far. Today they started sweetly and were quick to get to the favoured right. Their excellent daily aggregate gets them to fifth overall.
“Hopefully this is going to be a special week for this team.” Smiled Van Der Kamp, “We came in to the season with a little bit less time on the water than other teams this year so it has taken a little bit of time to get caught up. But today we feel like we have caught up and are more dialled in. The team talk today was to go out and be solid and unspectacular. Our plan was to keep our heads down and not take the same risks that we did yesterday. We trust our boat it has really good speed.”
The French team Paprec won the first race, getting the better of Alpha Plus at the first top mark whilst the tables were turned on the next heat when Alpha Plus were best. But the French crew led by ocean racing legend Loïck Peyron are showing shades of last year’s Rolex TP52 World Championship in breezy Cascais, Portugal where they finished second, ceding the title to American Magic Quantum Racing on the last day. Today the Paprec performance was assured and smooth in conditions which have not been their strongest so far.
Peyron grinned, “We had a good first race after a good start. The second one was not so good at the beginning but we are sailing well I think, we are doing good manoeuvres and I felt I was very aware today, in tune with what was going on. And we are leading the regatta which is not bad for a crew of little frogs! I think we some good luck but we try to have clear wind, that is the thing. Everyone is trying to have the same thing. When you are leading that is not a big problem but when you are no you have to go not necessarily where you would like to go but where there is clear wind. But there is such a big fight and I love it, I still love this!”
Paprec lead No Way Back, Heerema’s team led by Terry Hutchinson which has nine members of last year’s champions American Magic Quantum Racing. A weighty 18 points day sees Sled slide to third.
Rolex TP52 World Championship Porto Cervo 2026 Provisional Standings after four races
1. Paprec (FRA), Jean-Luc Petithuguenin, 13+4+1+3 = 21
2. No Way Back (NED), Pieter Heerema, 6+2+7+8 = 23
3. Sled, Takashi Okura, 5+1+6+12 = 24
4. Alkedo Vitamina (ITA), Andrea Lacorte, 1+9+10+5 = 25
5. Platoon Aviation (GER), Harm Müller-Spreer, 4+6+9+6 = 25
6. Alpha + (HKG), Shawn & Tina Kang, 12+12+2+1 = 27
7. Trinity (SWE), Joakim Sundberg, 10+13+3+2 = 28
8. Vayu (THA), Whitcraft Family, 3+3+14+11 = 31
9. Gladiator (GBR), Tony Langley, 15+5+8+4 = 32
10. Alegre (GBR), Andy Soriano, 11+8+4+10 = 33
11. Teasing Machine (FRA), Eric de Turckheim, 2+14+11+9 = 36
12. Provezza (TUR), Ergin Imre, 8+10+5+13 = 36
13. Caballo Loco (BRA), Mauro Dottori & Fabio Cotrim, 9+7+15+7 = 38
14. Crioula (BRA), Eduardo & Renato Plass, 7+11+13+14 = 45
15. Vudu (ITA), Mauro Gestri, 14+15+12+15 = 56
