A trained civil engineer, Maxime Sorel put in his first tacks off Port Mer in Cancale. He made his debut in dinghy sailing and got a taste for the open ocean on Pascal Quintin's Multi50. In 2014, he switched to Class40 where he finished 1st Vintage Class40 in the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe in his debut transatlantic race. Next up, his honorary sponsor, V and B, built him a Mach 40.3 to continue the adventure together.
2016 fails to live up to the skipper's expectations so Maxime pulls out all the stops and sets about optimising his boat in early 2017. This hard work pays off and he takes victory in the prestigious Rolex Fastnet Race and the Transat Jacques Vabre.
During the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe 2018, Maxime and his partner V and B announce their desire to be on the starting grid for the Vendée Globe 2020. Then the Mayenne department gets involved in the adventure and the skipper enters the star IMOCA monohull class.
After just two years of preparation aboard his new steed, Maxime Sorel completes his first round the world after 82 days of racing in 10th position. He’s more than fulfilled the brief and the skipper returns, true to form, with the same thirst for adventure!
In this way, in 2021, Monbana plumps up the Mayenne-based alliance a little further and a new Vendée Globe campaign gets underway aboard a new, latest-generation IMOCA: the V and B - Monbana - Mayenne. The goal is a top 5 spot in the future circumnavigation of the globe.
In conjunction with this new sailing project, Maxime will also attempt to scale the land-based Everest in April/ May 2023 (having completed the Everest of the seas in 2020/21) to fly the flag loudly and proudly for Vaincre la Mucoviscidose (Overcoming Cystic Fibrosis), an association he has championed since 2014 in his capacity as French patron since 2019, therefore coming full circle in what he calls: My Double Everest.
One thing for sure, our all-terrain skipper won’t have time to get bored over the coming years…
2020-21 : Vendée Globe - 10th (82d 14h 30m 15s)
2020 : Défi Azimut - 11th
Vendée-Arctique-Les Sables d'Olonne - 11th
2019 : Bermuda 1000 Race - 5th
2018 : Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe - Withdrawal
Grand Prix Guyader - 10th
2017 : Transat Jacques Vabre - 1st Class 40
Rolex Fasnet Race - 1st in Class40
Guyader Grand Prix - 3rd Class40
2016 : Normandy Channel Race - 3rd Class 40
Transat Quebec/Saint-Malo - 18th Class40
2015 : Transat Jacques Vabre 2015 - 2nd Class 40
2014 : Route du rhum destination Guadeloupe - 1st Vintage Class40 and 23rd overall
Guyader Trophy - 1st Vintage Class40 and 8th overall
Vintage Class40 World Champion