America’s Cup. New Venue confirmed.

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[The fifth Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series event for 2016 will be held in Toulon, between Marseille and St Tropez, in September this year. Toulon will be the third European city to host a race event,

“Toulon will be the third European city to host the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series, and is the only stop on the Mediterranean,” confirmed Harvey Schiller, the Commercial Commissioner of the America’s Cup. “We are expecting a passionate reception for Franck Cammas and Groupama Team France, and indeed all the competitors, as the series builds towards the 2017 America’s Cup racing in Bermuda.”

“It is tremendous to have a chance to demonstrate to French fans what this new America’s Cup racing is all about,” said Franck Cammas, the skipper of Groupama Team France. “French sailors and fans are passionate about multihulls and speed, and it is only recently, with the shift to foiling catamarans, that the America’s Cup has reflected this excitement. We can’t wait to bring the racing to Toulon and to compete in front of a home crowd.”

Hubert Falco, the Mayor of Toulon and president of ‘Toulon Provence Méditerranée’ said: “The Greater Toulon council is very proud to host the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series. This will give global exposure to our port and harbor, which is among the most beautiful in Europe as well as allowing us to demonstrate our ability to organize and accommodate such an important event.”

“It is going to be fantastic to hold one of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series events here in France,” said Bruno Dubois, the general manager of Groupama Team France. “We will be able to share with the public, our partners and the media a new dimension of our project. This follows the excitement generated earlier this month at the Paris Boat Show where our AC45 boat was on display. Now everyone can come and see it in action, flying over the bay of Toulon.”

Following the announcement of the France event, two additional events are expected to complete the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series. One will be in Asia in November 2016, and all six competitors have now unanimously agreed to add an additional Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series regatta in the first quarter of 2017. ]