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Day: 27 July 2020

Former F1 driver linked to McLaren hypercar crash

by: Cassandra Tanti
27/07/2020

Former F1 driver Adrian Sutil is believed to have crashed an ultra-rare McLaren Senna LM in Eze over the weekend, sending car enthusiasts into a tailspin.
Photos have emerged on Instagram of a smashed-up McLaren Senna LM, believed to be owned by the German ex-Formula One driver Adrian Sutil. They were taken from the scene of the accident and appear to show the involvement of another car, with the McLaren’s front end embedded in a brick wall and pole.

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#mclaren #mclarensenna #crazycrash #thanks the electricpylon #accident

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There are still no confirmed details on the cause of the accident, the identity of the drivers, or their condition after the accident, although no major incident has been reported since.
A video was also posted to reddit showing the bright orange Senna strapped to the back of a tow truck, attracting plenty of comments razing Sutil for a similar crash he had in an F1 car during the Monaco Grand Prix a few years back.

Adrian Sutil with a McLaren Senna LM. Image taken by McLaren Monaco.

The Senna LM is a very rare care that was unveiled in June 2020 as a tribute to the McLaren F1 GTR’s victory at the 1995 Le Mans. Sutil was pictured with the car in January, although it is unclear if he actually took delivery of the vehicle. It is based on the Senna GTR track car but is street-legal, and delivers around 800 hp.
While McLaren has never publicly released details of the model, it is believed that there are just 20 makes that were allocated to McLaren’s most loyal customers.
 
Top photo taken from @robgilles instagram post
 
 

Iqoniq secures €100m in new funding

by: Cassandra Tanti
27/07/2020

Monaco-based startup Iqoniq has entered into a €100 million funding agreement to develop and expand its new fan engagement platform targeting the world of sports and entertainment.
News of the investment comes as Iqoniq, headquartered in Monaco, has grown considerably over the past six months, despite the impact of Covid-19. During this period, the platform has added a host of new high-profile employees and Advisory Board members, as well as formalising partnerships with rights-holders such as AS Monaco, Euroleague Basketball, Olympique de Marseille, North Carolina FC and the Drone Champions League.
On 24th July, the group announced the capital funding agreement with Luxembourg based investment corporation Lux Media Investments, a private investment company headed by a group of investment bankers, media entrepreneurs, pioneers, former sports professionals and industry leaders, including former executives of Time Warner, Walt Disney, and Sony.
“With modern social media platforms not specifically designed for fans, Iqoniq provides its users with an all-in-one solution for their needs, providing aggregated content from all other platforms, as well as unique features including in-app games, special star interactions, loyalty programmes, merchandising and ticketing discounts, and the option to support social responsibility initiatives – all leading to more personal, more rewarding and more purposeful fan experiences,” stated Iqoniq in a press release.
Iqoniq says it is currently in advanced negotiations with more than 175 rightsholders from the world of sports and entertainment, including major clubs from the big five European football divisions, as well as world-leading clubs and leagues in baseball, cricket, rugby and motorsport.
“We are very pleased to have secured a financial partner with exceptional experience and know-how in the media industry for IQONIQ,” said CEO Kazim Atilla. “The challenges that have come this year with the pandemic have in many ways reinforced and supported our vision to bring fans closer to their stars, no matter where they are in the world. With this new investment, we will be able to continue our growth alongside new partners and accelerate our plans to revolutionise the world of fan engagement.”
Piet Saarloos, President of the Lux Capital Corporation, added, “From our first conversations with Iqoniq’s leadership team in June 2019, it became clear that Iqoniq will become a real gamechanger in fan engagement, presenting unique opportunities for the sports and entertainment industries. With the experience of our Lux Media Investments team, we see great synergies between our expertise and theirs, and we look forward to helping Iqoniq take the next steps on this incredibly exciting journey.”
The Iqoniq platform is due to launch in September 2020.
 
Read more:
AS Monaco teams up with Iqoniq
 
 

Louis Ducruet leaves AS Monaco for “new adventure”

by: Stephanie Horsman
27/07/2020

After five years with AS Monaco, Louis Ducruet has decided to leave the club to pursue other endeavours.
Louis Ducruet, the son of Princess Stephanie and Daniel Ducruet, has officially resigned from AS Monaco on 23rd July, according to a statement released by the club on their website. He has held various posts with the club during his five year tenure including sales, recruitment and, finally, assistant to the Vice-President and CEO Oleg Petrov.
On Ducruet’s Instagram page, he says that, “It’s time for a new adventure, a new challenge, which will allow me to acquire more experience.” He goes on to thank the club and supporters and recalls, “unforgettable moments, the exceptional journey in the Champions’ league but also the title of Champion of France in 2017.”
Eurosport reported last week that Ducruet may be taking on a post with the company that manages the clubs of Olympiakos Piraeus, in Greece, and Nottingham Forest in England.
Though it is not completely clear yet where these greener pastures will take the 27-year-old, it is fairly certain he will not break entirely with the Monaco sports scene. He was made President of the Monaco eSports Federation last October, after former President and founder Boris Fedoroff stepped down.
 
Photo provided by AS Monaco
 
 

D&G opens new airport store

by: Stephanie Horsman
27/07/2020

The Nice Côte d’Azur airport has been given a boost in glamour with the opening of a new Dolce & Gabbana store in Terminal 2.
France’s second-largest hub has seen a gradual resumption of air traffic, particularly international flights, since the near total shutdown during the height of the coronavirus epidemic earlier this year.
As proof positive that life is returning and retailers are confident in the appeal of the airport and destination in general, Dolce & Gabbana has opened a retail shop in Terminal 2. Joining a long list of luxury brands, such as Ferragamo, Hermes, Lacoste, Vilebrequin, Armani, Montblanc, Michael Kors and Tumi, Dolce & Gabbana is another feather in the cap for the airport who has strived in recent years to make the overall experience of travel exceptional.
“The arrival of a new, world-renowned fashion house confirms the attractiveness of Nice Côte d’Azur airport to retailers and its ambition to offer passengers the most surprising experience to be found in a European airport,” said Filip Soete, Chief Commercial Officer for Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur.
Dolce & Gabbana is well-known for its unique blend of Italian charm and craftsmanship, and the shop features a wide range of women’s and men’s pret-a-porter clothing, as well as selected items from their handbag, shoe, sunglasses and accessories collections.
 
Photo provided by airport
 

Monaco Organ Festival celebrates 15th year

by: Stephanie Horsman
27/07/2020

The Monaco International Organ Festival is going ahead as planned next month with a broad mix of lectures, meetings, concerts and a film screening with live musical accompaniment.
The show must go on, as the old saying goes, and the 15th edition of the Monaco International Organ Festival is doing just that.
The 2020 schedule will be an abridged version of the usual festival, due to restrictions caused by the global health crisis, but there will still be plenty to see, do and enjoy.
The festival kicks off at 4pm on Sunday 23rd August at the Cathedral of Monaco on the Rock and will feature a lecture by Roland Galtier entitled, ‘Studying, building and restoring organs: the role of the project supervisor’, followed at 5pm by a recital by Pierre-Marie Escourrou and Pauline Choplin, accompanied on the organ by Sophie-Veronique Cauchefer-Choplin, of Eric-Emmanuel Schmidt’s Monsieur Ibrahim et les Fleurs du Coran.
Then on the 30th August, there will be a tribute to Rolande Falcinelli at 4pm, followed by a concert by organists Pascale Mélis, Yves Castagnet and Philippe Brandeis with Elise Battais on flute.
The series wraps up on Sunday 6th September with a conference headed up by Claude Passet, where he will speak on the Organ in Monaco from the 16th to 21st centuries at 4pm. The grand finale will be a screening of the Fritz Lang 1927 classic film Metropolis with Jean-Baptiste Dupont accompanying on the organ.
 
Photo: Cathedral of Monaco