Loïck Peyron is a sailor with a spectacular CV. It goes back to the 1980s and includes all of the offshore disciplines from the Mini Class to Maxi-catamarans, via intense and fruitful campaigns in the IMOCA Open 60 Class and in the ORMA 60 Multihull class. Loïck has completed two circumnavigations of the globe and a whopping 42 Atlantic crossings, 18 of those solo.

As well as their double-handed Atlantic victory, Jean-Pierre and Loïck have also developed other technical projects together, such as the design and build of Paprec-Virbac 2 and Gitana Eighty (the current Estrella Damm and Renault) which also means they know each other very well in tactical and technical terms. They will sail the new Virbac-Paprec 3, which both skippers sailed from Panama to Newport (over 4,300 miles), one of the transport legs planned by Jean-Pierre Dick and his new team from New Zealand to France once the build was completed. The new boat, as with all of Jean-Pierre's boats, reveals many innovations and will reach the 31st of December finishing line having been tested thoroughly, which will mean that the French duo will be one of the most powerful and difficult teams to beat in this challenge.