Team Holcim-PRB launch protest against 11th Hour Racing ahead of redress hearing at The Ocean Race

Team Holcim-PRB have filed a protest against 11th Hour Racing as the result of The Ocean Race 2022-23 remains up in the air.

Team Holcim-PRB are currently one point ahead of 11th Hour Racing in the standings after the final leg finished in Genova, Italy on Tuesday.

The incident ruled both boats out of the leg, denying 11th Hour Racing the chance to get any points.

Benjamin Dutreux, the skipper of GUYOT environnement – Team Europe acknowledged responsibility for the collision.

The jury at the redress hearing could 11th Hour Racing are due compensation in the form of points, which may move them above Team Holcim-PRB.

If 11th Hour Racing are awarded one point or more then they would be the winners of The Ocean Race.

RRS 14 reads, in part: “A boat shall avoid contact with another boat if reasonably possible. However, if a boat has right of way…and if she is complying with the other rules of Part 2, a right-of-way boat…need not act to avoid contact until it is clear that the other boat is not keeping clear.”

RRS 16.1 reads, in part: “When a boat acquires right of way or when a right-of-way boat alters course, she is required to give room for the other boat to keep clear. The other boat must promptly manoeuvre in a way which offers a reasonable expectation that she will keep clear.”

The hearing into the protest will be held on Thursday morning before the redress hearing.

The protest hearing – in which Team Holcim-PRB might try to establish that 11th Hour Racing were partially at fault for the crash – could have an impact on the redress hearing and the outcome of it.

They were leading into the closing stages of the leg but were overtaken by Team Malizia, who arrived first in Genova, and Biotherm.