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Volvo Ocean Race 2008/2009
Leg 9 Marstrand - Stockholm
www.volvooceanrace.org -
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Fotogalerie Leg 9
Ericsson 4 gewinnt Volvo Ocean Race 2008
16.06.09
http://media.pumaoceanracing.com
PUMA wins leg nine of Volvo Ocean Race
June 15, 2009 – PUMA won leg nine of the Volvo Ocean Race at 22:43:10
local (20:43:10 GMT) this evening, achieving their first leg win of the
race to date. In the most nail-biting finish ever witnessed in the Volvo
Ocean Race, PUMA began an intense tacking duel with Ericsson 3 just
minutes from the finish line off Sandham, Sweden with the aim of causing
Ericsson 3 to either slow or make a mistake.
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Foto: Dave Kneale/VOR
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Ericsson 3 did, PUMA
overtook, and sailed to victory, crossing the finish line one minute 30
seconds ahead. Triumphant but exhausted, today’s win allows the PUMA Ocean
Racing team to indextain second place overall in the Volvo Ocean Race.
There is just one In Port race and one leg to go before the finish in St
Petersburg, Russia on June 28.
In the shortest leg of the race to date, which took winner PUMA just 33
hours and 43 minutes to complete, the Volvo Ocean Race fleet raced from
the island of Marstrand, round the coast of Sweden to a finish line just
off Sandhamn, on the edge of the Stockholm archipelago. Until overtaken by
Ericsson 3 just off Öland Island, PUMA had been leading the fleet for the
preceding four hours of the 525 nautical mile leg. The two boats reindexed
just boatlengths away from each other until the tacking duel ensued just
outside Sandhamn, before PUMA crossed the line in first place. After
finishing seven of nine legs to date on the podium, this is the PUMA Ocean
Racing team’s first ever leg win.
Skipper Ken Read (USA) commented: “It feels fantastic – for us this is a
great win, a hard-earned win. Man do we know how to make it hard! I don't
think it has to be this hard, but somehow that's the only way we seem to
have success.”
“We let them [Ericsson 3] get ahead of us at the lighthouse, in a little
rain squall. They went from about half a mile behind to overtake us. We
just had to battle back. I think most teams would have quit right then but
our boys just kept on going. We threw a whole bunch of tacks at them,
looking to force an error. Fortunately we got one when they got their jib
hung up on the radar dome. We threw everything we had at them and it was
just barely enough. It is unbelievable that a five hundred mile race could
be decided right there in one tack, it’s amazing. It was quite a drag race
for a long period of time. We’re tired. A great trip and it's a great
relief to get our first leg win out of the way.”
“We’re not the bridesmaids any more! These short races are almost harder
than the long races. You just don’t get any sleep at all. It feels very,
very, very, very, very good. It’s a relief. It’s been frustrating always
being the bridesmaid but you know what, better late than never.”
PUMA will take part in a friendly race into Stockholm city centre on
Wednesday morning, arriving in Skeppsbron, Stockholm at 1400 local. The
PUMA Ocean Racing team will then spend the next few days resting and
preparing for the Stockholm In Port race, which takes place just off
Sandhamn, Sweden on Sunday June 21.
The Volvo Ocean Race is made up of ten legs, finishing in St. Petersburg,
Russia on 28th June 2009. By joining the race, PUMA has entered a new
premium category and is the only Sportlifestyle company to participate in
the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09. For more information about the race, team
and the PUMA Sailing collections, please visit www.pumaoceanracing.com
Alongside PUMA’s entry in the Volvo Ocean Race, PUMA has launched a full
range of marine clothing and apparel, from offshore sailing gear to
onshore lifestyle fashion. The PUMA Sailing Performance collection was
developed and tested by the PUMA Ocean Racing team itself, and is worn by
the team throughout the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09. The PUMA Sailing
Lifestyle collection takes inspiration from the sport.
For more information on Puma Ocean Racing, please contact:
Bridgid Murphy or Kate Fairclough - PUMA Ocean Racing
Tel: +1 978 996 5155 or +44 7827 277 517
bridgid.murphy@puma.com or kate.fairclough@puma.com
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