ETF26 GP Quiberon

The season's final showdown unfolds in Quiberon Bay

Four days to decide everything. From October 7–10, 2026, the Grand Prix de Quiberon hosts the fifth and final round of ETF26 Series Season 7. After Mar Menor, Hyères, Malcesine, and Lorient, it's on the ENVSN racing waters that the annual title will be decided — under the maximum pressure of a stadium format where each race lasts fifteen to twenty minutes and where the slightest maneuver mistake comes at an immediate cost.

Facing a fleet mixing Olympic medalists, SailGP pilots, and mixed crews in full ascendancy, one question dominates: who will finally dethrone Entreprises du Morbihan?

Three years of local domination

Since joining the circuit, Quiberon has belonged to a single crew. Matthieu Salomon and his teammates — including Franck Cammas and Valentin Bellet — have won the Grand Prix three times in a row, from 2023 to 2025. Three editions, three victories: the performance is clinical.

In 2025, however, the podium revealed growing depth. Charles Dorange and Blueshift Sailing Team snatched second place, while Quentin Delapierre at the helm of K-Challenge Blue completed the top 3. The message is clear: the Morbihan hegemony is under pressure.

The ETF26: 26 feet, 20 knots, zero compromise

Born from Jean-Pierre Dick's imagination and drawn by Guillaume Verdier — the architect behind Emirates Team New Zealand's monohulls — the ETF26 is a one-design catamaran built for pure speed. No arms race here: it's the sailing that makes the difference.

The numbers speak for themselves:

• Takeoff at 8 knots of wind, top speed around 20 knots — that's 2.5 times wind speed
• 8.10 m long, 4.30 m wide, carbon foils
• Mainsail of 29.5 m², self-tacking jib of 11 m², gennaker of 49.5 m²
• Crew of 4 to 5 people, versus 8 on SailGP's F50s
• Unit cost around €350,000, positioning the class as a stepping stone to the professional elite

Compact, violent, accessible: the ETF26 ticks all the boxes of democratized foiling.

The bay: playground and tactical trap

The Quiberon racing area is more than just a Breton postcard. In October, the normally stable thermal regime can give way to more muscular low-pressure systems. Tidal currents, reaching up to 2 knots in the bay, disrupt upwind angles and choices on the starting line.

Races are contested on stadium or sausage courses (upwind/downwind), with short, intense heats. The format sometimes integrates longer coastal raids, testing endurance as much as speed. For crews, it's a constant exercise in reading conditions: the current shifts, the wind swings, and the leaderboard with it.

A lineup that turns heads

The Season 7 entry list illustrates the series' meteoric internationalization. Five teams stand out heading into the finale.

Entreprises du Morbihan (FRA)

The logical favorites. Their millimeter-perfect knowledge of the racing waters, their cohesion honed season after season, and Franck Cammas's presence in crew rotations make them the absolute benchmark.

Blueshift Sailing Team (FRA)

Runners-up in 2025, Charles Dorange and his team are gaining momentum. Quiberon could be the stage for their first major victory at this Grand Prix.

Toroa Racing Team (GBR)

John Gimson and Anna Burnet, Olympic medalists in Nacra 17, bring formidable tactical rigor to the world of foiling. Their reading of short courses is a major asset.

Trident Racing Team (NZL)

Graeme Sutherland and his New Zealand crew bring the Kiwi foiling culture — aggressive, instinctive — that made the America's Cup so successful.

Rockwool Racing Team (DEN)

Two boats entered this season for the Danish team, very active in SailGP. The ETF26 serves here as an intensive development platform for their young talents.

The 2026 edition also emphasizes mixed crews, with a stated commitment to promoting female and young crews within the fleet.

What's at stake over four days

Season 7's overall standings crystallize at Quiberon. After four rounds — Mar Menor (Spain), Hyères (France), Malcesine (Italy), Lorient — the gaps are tight and the points awarded here can overturn everything. The psychological pressure is maximum for the championship leaders.

Beyond the title, the stakes are also economic. The series' digital audience shows a 45% increase in engagement on social media during events. For teams, the visibility gained at Quiberon carries significant weight in negotiations with partners — North Sails, Harken, Qaptur — ahead of the following season.

Finally, for structures like Orient Express Racing Team or K-Challenge, this final regatta is an opportunity to validate technical progress and crew coordination before the winter break.

From October 7 to 10, Quiberon Bay becomes an arena. And the verdict of Season 7 will come down to just a few foiling tacks. Find the complete calendar and entered teams at spencer.club.