Skipper of Gitana 11 and Gitana 13.
Born on 2 February 1960 in Bayeux (Calvados).
Living in Crach'.

Not so long ago, the top skippers were all scrambling to have Lionel Lemonchois among their crew. These days, they doubtless feel some apprehension at seeing him start an ocean race at the helm of Gitana 11, as since his stunning triumph in the Route du Rhum, they all know the fiendish pace which this exceptional sailor is capable of setting. For the man himself though, each race means starting from scratch and embracing a new challenge wholeheartedly...

As a sailor on his uncle's barge collecting wrecks for scrap, Lionel Lemonchois learned how to dive before he could swim. In later years, he worked as a diver in the Caribbean in search of rare and precious shellfish, after which this quiet and laid-back native of Normandy opted for a career on the water's surface. On his own behalf or that of others, solo or as part of a crew, Lionel has always sailed, from his fledgling forays as a young boy on his father's boat to his first Atlantic crossing at the age of 18 with some friends, not to mention his season in Polynesia on board a Formula 40. He started out on Maxi-yachts alongside Yves Pajot, Pierre English and Halvard Mabire, before moving on to multihulls with François Boucher. But the urge to compete in his own right was too strong and, in 1989, he had a go at the Mini Transat on a boat he built himself that was only launched 15 days before the start. To this day, that race remains one of his finest sailing memories. What's more, he is one of only a handful of sailors to have taken part in this event four times and still hopes to do it again one day. The same goes for the Figaro, a circuit to which he has remained loyal, with his victory in the Transat AG2R alongside Karine Fauconnier in 2000, then his second place with Dominic Vittet in 2006. He is better acquainted than most with sailors of the fairer sex, having meticulously prepared PRB then Whirlpool, sailed with their skippers Isabelle Autissier and Catherine Chabaud and dreamed of the Vendée Globe. Eventually however, it was the multihull circuit that captured him. After two seasons on the Orma and The Race circuits onboard Team Adventure, he was headhunted in 2001 to take over the helm of Gitana X, Baron Benjamin de Rothschild's new trimaran. After two seasons with the Gitana Team, he departed for horizons new in the shape of the Jules Verne Trophy with Bruno Peyron, the Transat Jacques Vabre with Pascal Bidégorry, the London-Nice race with Franck Cammas, the Transat AG2R with Dominic Vittet, Cannes-Istanbul with Bertrand de Broc.

In July 2006, Lionel finally joined the Gitana Team when Baron Benjamin de Rothschild asked him to take up the helm of Gitana 11 in the Route du Rhum. Quietly confident, he lined up at the start and… 7 days 17 hours and 6 seconds later, on 6 November 2006, crossed the finish line in Guadeloupe, shattering the old record held by Laurent Bourgnon since 1998! For Lemonchois, for the boat's owner and for the Gitana Team as a whole, it was the ultimate triumph. Since then, this sensational skipper has committed himself to the Gitana Team full time by taking charge of Gitana 13, the team's maxi-catamaran, as well as Gitana 11, on whom the Route de Rhum success was secured.

Lionel Lemonchois was a winner in the last Transat Jacques Vabre with Pascal Bidégorry and has since triumphed in the Route du Rhum. Consequently, Gitana 11, Lionel Lemonchois and his co-skipper Yann Guichard start as favourites for the first time in the Transat Jacques Vabre 2007.

Sailing honours

Route du Rhum 2006: Winner on Gitana 11 in 7d 17h 19'00''
Grand Prix du Portugal and Grand Prix de Fécamp 2006: 2^nd with Loick Peyron on Gitana 11
Cannes-Istanbul 2006: 3^rd with Bertrand de Broc on les Mousquetaires
London-Alpes Maritimes 2006: 1^st with Franck Cammas on Groupama 2
Transat AG2R 2006: 2^nd with Dominic Vittet on Atao
Transat Jacques Vabre 2005: 1^st with Pascal Bidégorry on Banque Populaire IV
Trophée Jules Verne 2005 with Bruno Peyron in 50d 16h 20' on Orange II
Route du Rhum 2002 on Gitana X
The Race 2000-2001: 3^rd with Cam Lewis on Team Adventure
Quebec – Saint-Malo 2000: 1^st with Franck Cammas on Groupama
Transat AG2R 2000: 1^st with Karine Fauconnier on Sergio Tacchini-Itineris
Mini Transat 1999: 32^nd (two dismastings) on Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque
Transgascogne 1999: 1^st on Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque
Fastnet Race 1999: 1^st with Catherine Chabaud on Whirlpool
Route de l'Or 1997: 2^nd with Isabelle Autissier on PRB
Quebec – Saint-Malo 1996: 7^thon Spirit with Halvard Mabire
Mini Transat 1995: 4^th on Les Jeudis du Port
Mondial Mumm-36 1995: 2^nd with Jimmy Pahun on K-Yote
Record New York-San Francisco 1994: with Isabelle Autissier on Ecureuil Poitou-Charentes
Open UAP 1993: 1^st monohull on Ville de Cherbourg with Halvard Mabire
Solitaire du Figaro 1990-91-94
Transat AG2R 1992: 4^thon Clips Entreprises with Fred Guérin
Mini Transat 1991: 6^th on Clips Entreprises
Mini Transat 1989: 11^th on Clips Entreprises
Monaco-New York 1985: 2^nd with François Boucher on Ker Cadelac