F1 and ex-Renault CEO joins offshore racing yard

Inspiring Sport Capital (ISC) has gathered together a group of private investors to hold a majority share in composite hulls and parts builder CDK Technologies and has announced Cyril Abiteboul as the new CEO of CDK Technologies.

Investor and engineer, Cyril Abiteboul previously served as CEO of the Renault F1 Team from 2015 to 2021 and has spent 20 years in the automotive sector.

Abiteboul says: “Among the many similarities between motorsport and yacht racing, I’m particularly delighted to reconnect with the values of passion, commitment and excellence, which are an integral part of the reputation forged by CDK Technologies and the men and women who make up its workforce, which I’m honoured to be joining.”

Cyril Abiteboul is taking over the role of CEO, succeeding Philippe Facque who is retiring.

A leader in the domain of offshore racing thanks to its expertise in the construction of innovative composite hulls and parts, the CDK Technologies yard, founded in 1984. Facque has headed the yard for over 30 years, and together with the support of deputy general managers Yann Dollo and Stéphane Digard, and all their teams, the company has made a name for itself in the most iconic offshore racing environment in the world, including the Vendée Globe, the Route du Rhum, the Transat Jacques Vabre, the Jules Verne Trophy and The Ocean Race.

A prolific name in racing yacht construction, CDK has earned four consecutive wins in the prestigious Vendée Globe and an entire podium in the latest edition of the race in 2020-2021.

Historically a composite structure specialist, CDK is now capable of fulfilling orders for all the high-performance technical parts that make up a racing yacht: multihull and monohull platforms, masts, booms and now foils for ULTIM and IMOCA boats. 

“Beyond the nobility of offshore racing, which will remain central to the CDK Technologies’ project, its facilities and its expertise in composite materials and manufacturing processes make it a unique platform for development, whether it be in the universe of nautical races, which is growing and maturing, or in that of maritime transport, which will be subject to the same challenges regarding carbon neutrality as automotive mobility,” says Abiteboul.

Abiteboul concludes: “I’d like to extend my heartfelt thanks to ISC for allowing me to join CDK Technologies, a name that is inseparable from the past 30 years’ of sporting achievements, and to Philippe Facque who has made the company what it is today, as well as to Yann Dollo and Stéphane Digard, who will be continuing the adventure alongside me.”

Lucien Boyer, co-founder and managing partner of Inspiring Sport Capital says: “Following the very fine chapter penned by CDK Technologies thus far under the leadership of Philippe Facque, with whom I’ve had the great pleasure of working for a number of years. Inspiring Sport Capital’s goal is to ensure the development of the yard’s core business goes from strength to strength, by reinforcing its leading role in offshore racing, whilst nurturing a genuine laboratory of technological innovations for use in the domain of energy transition in the marine sector, through the development of applications in the boating universe and in the marine industry.

“To drive this ambitious strategy, we’re convinced that Cyril Abiteboul will be able to offer the team at CDK Technologies his invaluable leadership skills and his unique experience in high-performance competition and industry.”