Monaco’s Shibuya Productions invited a special guest to the premier screening of Top Gun: Maverick at Cannes, fulfilling French astronaut Thomas Pesquet’s lifelong dream of meeting his film hero Tom Cruise.
Whilst many people are huge admirers of astronauts, astronauts need someone to admire as well. In the case of French astronaut Thomas Pesquet, he was able to realise his dream of meeting his own screen idol, Tom Cruise, in a place no less than on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival.
Thomas Pesquet has been in the news quite a bit recently as part of a crew who in April 2021 boarded the International Space Station (ISS) for a six-month stint. It was a notable journey in that he was transported there on the Space Systems International Space X Crew Dragon, a partially reusable spacecraft, marking the new way space travel is heading.
The astronaut’s turn on the red carpet was thanks to an invitation from Monaco-based video games company, Shibuya Productions, who it is rumoured will be working on a project together. Rumours also abound about a possible collaboration between Pesquet and Cruise, who is scheduled to head into space and go aboard the ISS in preparation for a new film he will be shooting with director Doug Liman.
The evening was topped off by Cruise landing by helicopter to the site, and a passage of the Patrouille de France, the precision aerobatics demonstration unit of the French Air and Space Force, over the Palais des Festivals.
Photo: Cedric Biscay and Thomas Pesquet at Cannes 2022, photo by Shibuya Productions
Monaco’s new F1 experience: “Closing the gap between virtual and reality”
AS Grand Prix vibes reach fever pitch, Monaco’s own Bond international, RS Simulation and iCrew Services are partnering-up to bring a thrilling F1 simulator experience to the Principality, on the biggest screen you could ever imagine.
“As with most things, we like to do something that we think has not been done before,” Bond Management Director Will Faimatea tells Monaco Life.
What they have created in the Samsung Lounge is certainly something that hasn’t been seen, or experienced, in the Principality before. The enormous, ultra-modern, electronically advanced screen by Samsung, dubbed “The Wall”, is a must-see in itself. Pair that with a €42,000 SectorOne professional simulator created in partnership with Scuderia Alpha Tauri’s F1 driver Pierre Gasly, and you have a seriously immersive racing experience.
This “eye-catching” synergy between Bond and RS Simulation Monaco was born out of a chance meeting between Will Faimatea and Jonathan Mareschal, business director of RS Simulation Monaco. Having seen the capacities of the simulator on a 50” screen, Faimatea immediately saw the potential to maximise the product and bring it to a larger, more advanced screen.
“The Wall is suited to fast moving actions, which you get driving on the simulator because we’re driving through Monaco and the background is changing at a very high speed,” says Faimatea.
The Wall is often used to show sporting events and movies, but the addition of the simulator will allow guests to engage in an exclusive, unforgettable experience.
The SectorOne simulator itself is the first compact simulator born from real racing, from the work of race engineers using simulation as a tool in the racing industry to answer an increasing demand of professional drivers wanting to work/train at home. They include Formula 1 driver Pierre Gasly, SectorOne’s main ambassador, a racing enthusiast eager to use the ultimate simulation technology, as performant as luxurious.
The SectorOne was inaugurated in 2019 with Pierre Gasly on a yacht in Monaco, whilst a whole host of other drivers such as Nico Hülkenburg, Nico Rosberg and Jean Eric Vergne have also tested what the simulator has to offer. It is “a state of the art compact simulator to live the race at its best,” according to Pierre Gasly.
Simulators are nothing new. They’re well-known for gaming and sim racing. You can often go to racing events around the world and try them out, but it’s normally on a small screen and they’re a cheap set-up designed for the general public.
Jonathan Mareschal says RS Simulation wants to offer people more than a game from a simulator experience. “Since 2013, RS Simulation Monaco has developed professional simulators for professional racing teams, and as the general public cannot access anything like this, we aim to provide them with a taste of real racing with luxurious finishing,” says Mareschal.
The focus of RS Simulation’s engineers is therefore to deliver the most accurate feedback to the driver, with components as close as possible to those used in the racing world, or even actual racing parts.
“What we’re trying to do is close the gap between virtual and reality,” adds Mareschal. “The public can try our cutting-edge SectorOne tubular frame (like a real roll cage), the finest Dbox Haptic motion platform with a professional hydraulic pedal box system, one of the best steering wheel’s available, and a carbon fiber racing seat in a single-seater position.”
And this is where the partnership with Bond comes in, creating something unique and special within the Principality of Monaco. “One thing that is very important on a simulator is graphics. You need to be as immersed as possible,” says Mareschal. “So, this immersion is critical and here the idea is ultra-innovative. It’s like a laboratory with Samsung’s technology, with The Wall. You don’t usually find simulators with this size screen.”
There is a reason for that: the logistical challenge of bringing together the two elements cannot be underestimated. Trent Sprules, managing director of iCrew Services, is used to installing simulators at events such as the British Grand Prix in Silverstone, but setting it up in a small lounge in Monaco provided a unique set of challenges. “Getting the simulator in here, up the narrow stairs, is quite a challenge,” he explains.
Key to this project is the idea of creating an “experience”. It is one thing to have the tools, but maximising their potential is the important part. Faimatea has already formulated plans to attract clients not just from Monaco, but beyond.
“It’s something that wasn’t previously available in Monaco,” began Faimatea. “So, it’s about increasing exposure in Monaco, and also bringing in outside companies for corporate events; to experience Monaco with staff and management teams, try the simulator and have some competitive fun; see who gets the best time in the company, for example.”
The competitive element is a key ingredient to the project, and could manifest itself in a type of “Monaco Cup” where clients compete to record the best times. “The idea is to have the best drivers and personalities in Monaco come here, to enjoy it and think for example: Pierre Gasly or Mika Häkkinen has set such a flying lap time. I have the opportunity now to challenge them,” says Mareschal.
More broadly speaking, the addition of the simulator to the Samsung Lounge is about creating a more interactive event. Clients have long since been used to visiting the lounge to watch sporting events, for example the F1 races, but that is about to change, starting with this weekend’s Spanish GP.
“The simulator brings so much added value to the event. When you watch an F1 race, you stay passive, but here the VIP can become active. They are part of it. It’s interactive,” says Mareschal.
“The idea is that you come in before the official race, do a couple of time trials on the track, and then watch the race live on The Wall with the memory of having just driven it,” adds Faimatea.
And that is the key to this synergy event, this perfect marriage of Monegasque businesses. By coming together, pooling their respective expertise, they are creating a new experience in the Principality, one that is unique and interactive and, with the introduction of the “Monaco Cup”, potentially highly competitive.
A record-busting 15 teams are now signed up for the 2022 edition of the Riviera Water Bike Challenge charity event, organised by the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation to support their water safety programme for children in Sri Lanka. Here’s who will be battling it out this year.
The Rivera Water Bike Challenge (RWBC) has a new format this year and has managed to attract a huge number of participants, including many celebrity names, all for a good cause.
The last edition saw racers journey from Calvi, Corsica, to the Principality. This year, the race will be set up so spectators can enjoy all the fun from the Solarium of the Digue Rainier III from 10am Sunday 5th June as participants do a relay race in the Port of Monaco.
The teams will depart from the Yacht Club of Monaco and will run the set course of approximately 25 kilometres.
A draw held on 18th May at the Yacht Club of Monaco selected two celebrities to be part of each of the 15 teams competing. They are as follows:
Team Serenity, winning team from 2018 and already drawn, with Mark Webber, David Tanner, Terence Parkin and Caleb Ewan
Team Yacht Club de Monaco – with Pernilla Wiberg and Sofiane Boukichou
Team Mareterra – with Dan Luger and Kaiden Keyser
Team Special Olympics – with Gustavo Menezes and Cesc Fabregas
Team AMAO (Monegasque Association of Olympic Athletes) – with Jack Doohan and Victoria Silvstedt
Team AS Monaco FC – with Andrew Cotton and Bryan Habana
Team Lionheart – with Paula Radcliffe and Boris Vain
Team Monaco Cavaliers – with Kevin Crovetto and Egan Bernal
Team Interpadel – with Dee Bost and Bjorn Maaseide
Team Blitz – with Marco Holzer and Mika Häkkinen
Team U Cignale – with Dakota Schuetz and Filippo Pozzato
Team CMB – with Antti Vierula and Alexandra Bilodeau
Team Orestes – with Pierre Frolla and Muriel Hurtis
Team Metabolic Balance – with Marlene Harnois and Rudy Rinaldi
Team Beefbar – with Jérôme Fernandez and Frederik Paulsen
The public will be able to follow the race in real-time on a dedicated feed found at www.fpcm.mc/live.
Proceeds from the event will go to fund the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation’s ‘Swim for Safety’ project in Sri Lanka to teach swimming and water safety to disadvantaged children leading up to the next World Conference on Drowning Prevention in 2023.
Photo by Michael Alesi, Government Communication Department
AS Monaco manager Philippe Clement has revealed that guaranteed qualification to the Europa League has eased the pressure going into Saturday’s game, saying that the team has “nothing to lose”.
For the first time all season, Philippe Clement’s side go into a match as an occupant of a podium spot; it is the first time that they are the hunted and not the hunter. Only one match remains to defend their position. It is reasonable to assume that under such circumstances, the pressure is mounting on the players to deliver, but Clement revealed that the opposite is in fact true.
“It’s the first time we have nothing to lose,” he began. “We have already secured Europa League football. That was a club objective at the start of the season. It hasn’t been easy catching up to get to this point. Now there are extra things that we can win on Saturday. That is different from earlier months,” he concluded.
Questioned by Monaco Life as to whether that means that a Champions League qualification will have meant that they have surpassed expectations, the former Club Brugge coach replied, “I don’t know because nobody told me that if we didn’t get onto the podium then it’s a bad season. That’s never been said here.”
He continued, “You have to look at the entire season. The club lost too many points in the first 60-70% of games of the season. We lost too many points in that period. It’s good that everyone has reacted at the end and done good things.”
Before heading up to Lens for what Clement rightly described as a “decisive” fixture, the side were joined by Dimitry Rybolovlev at the club’s training ground on Thursday. He observed training alongside the technical director James Bunce, whilst sporting director Paul Mitchell was also present during the session at La Turbie.
“Rybolovlev said he was happy with everyone’s work, and encouraged us ahead of Saturday’s match,” said Clement. “We are happy to be able to count on his support and that has always been the case since I’ve been here,” he added.
The presence and support of their owner isn’t the only thing that has buoyed them ahead of the trip up north. Youssouf Fofana in particular revealed that Wednesday’s open training session at the Stade Louis II had given them “energy,” whilst Clement is also looking at the longer-term impacts of the event.
He told Monaco Life, “Seeing our supporters can give us a lot of energy for the future. Lots of children came to see us. As the tickets for the Lens match sold out so quickly, they won’t necessarily be able to attend the match, but I’m sure they’ll watch on the big screen at the Stade Louis II. To have more supporters inside the ground, supporting the players is certainly one of my objectives for the future.”
But it is AS Monaco’s short-term success that may determine whether such objectives can be met. The allure of Champions League football at the Stade Louis II cannot be understated, and a draw against Lens would suffice to achieve it, although a victory would ensure safe passage to the group stages without needing to pass through the perilous play-offs: a hurdle at which Monaco stumbled this season. Although there are many scenarios and different moving parts going into this final weekend, the reality is that Monaco’s destiny is in their own hands: a position that Clement and Monaco clearly relish.
Photo by Luke Entwistle, Monaco Life
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