| MARSEILLE, FRANCE-(7-10-2003) Part of the Mumm 30 circuit, the Pro-Am Cup becomes for its 7th edition this year the ` K-Challenge Pro-Am Cup `. The start signal of the event will be given next Wednesday 15th October, and regattas will begin on the morning of the 17th. Within the competitors in the event, the competition will welcome two boats from the K-Challenge team training to take part to the next America’s Cup. K-Challenge is sponsor of the Pro-Am Cup this year. One of the boats will be leaded by John Cutler, New Zealander (4 America’s Cup), and the other by Thierry Peponnet (2 America’s Cup, double Olympic medallist) : as the title older, Thierry is not ready to give his place easily ! In the starting blocks on their sides : teams coming from Belgium (T Services Interim / Region de Bruxelles), from United Kingdom, Israel, the Netherlands, Germany (Rainbow), and also all the very talented French competitors, who were very successful this season : Armel Le Cleach’, who is invited as the last great winner of La Solitaire du Figaro, as well as all the Cap Sport team, who brilliantly won the Tour de France à la Voile last summer. That is to say we have 7 nationalities. The competition will again be very international and with a very high level, which are ones of the principal assets of this competition since it was launched. To be clear, there are 21 boats registered for the moment, ready to fight hard within the perfect Marseilles’ sailing area, precisely the one that might be host of the next America’s Cup. But on that point, suspense will last a little longer before we get to know the final decision from the Swiss organization, which will occur before the end of the year. So we will see a meeting of different type of sailors, coming from different worlds : offshore sailing, America’s Cup, regattas…, and this is exactly what is interesting and rich in this competition, thanks to the high level we will find in their ` playing area `. Get ready for next week’s crew arrival in Marseilles ! The Pro-Am Cup was created in 1997 by K-Yachting. This regatta allows amateur skippers to fight equally with the world top sailors. The race gathers the Mumm 30 owners (9m length regatta one design) and professional skippers especially invited and selected. Loïck Peyron, Franck Cammas, Bertrand Pacé, Jochen Schuemann are part of the `stars` who already came for the challenge. The Pro-Am Cup shall be governed by the ISAF (International Sailing Federation) sailing rules, as well as the French Mumm 30 Class rules. 2 general placings will be produced : the | 
