Benoît Gaudiot

Benoît is a co-founder and sailor of the SP80 challenge, aiming to set a new outright World Sailing Speed Record with their kite-powered trimaran.

Former French elite athlete in kitesurfing, he reached a personal best of over 51 knots at just 16 years old before transitioning from sport to engineering and beginning his studies at EPFL in Switzerland. In 2017, he co-founded SP80 with the ambition of surpassing Paul Larsen’s record set with Vestas Sailrocket 2. Alongside his academic journey, Benoît contributed to the design of the boat’s platform and led the composite manufacturing team during its construction. His expertise also extends to CAD, CFD, and FEA which he applied throughout the different phases of the project development.
As he advanced in his Master’s degree, he oversaw the development a neural-network-based FSI tool for foil design and optimization. This two-year effort culminated in the design and manufacturing of the hydrofoil and rudder used in SP80’s most recent campaign, where the boat reached a topspeed of over 58 knots. Lately, he stepped into the role of second pilot at the back of the cockpit, where he is in charge of steering and trimming the kite.

He is currently focused on ensuring the boat’s technical reliability in preparation for the next record attempt, scheduled in Namibia in fall 2026. In parallel, Benoît joined Neural Concept, a technical partner of SP80 specializing in AI solutions for physics-based problems and deeply involved in the SP80’s hydrofoil design.