The 42-year-old Frenchman is delighted to be representing China again: \u201cFor sure I am very happy because I have learnt about China and its people and I really enjoy working with them,\u201d he said. \u201cI am very happy to see Dongfeng coming back. It is great for us to see a sponsor returning who feels happy about sailing and is happy to get involved again.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith this announcement the team is in the \u2018starting blocks\u2019 early and that will give us an advantage to find the best crew and to train as much as possible. But this is not an easy task \u2013 the next edition of the race is the longest and hardest yet with three times as much Southern Ocean racing to do.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the last race the Chinese sailors, who had almost no offshore sailing experience, joined the squad and performed beyond expectations alongside our professional international crew. Together we showed what we could do, how we could overcome adversity and be an even stronger, united team at the end.\u201d<\/p>\n
This second Dongfeng Race Team\u00a0project follows Team Sanya (2011-12) and Green Dragon (2008-09) as the Volvo Ocean Race\u2019s fourth Chinese entry. Green Dragon was a joint-entry with Ireland.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s fantastic news to have Dongfeng come back as a sponsor for a second consecutive edition \u2013 and fantastic news for sailing in China, to be able to build on the legacy that the first Dongfeng Race Team project created,\u201d said Volvo Ocean Race CEO Mark Turner, who, before taking the reins of the event in June 2016, oversaw the Dongfeng Race Team project.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really pleasing to see a Chinese sponsor which was new to sports sponsorship, coming back a second time based on the strength of the success of the first campaign, both on the media side and the Business to Business side. It\u2019s a very big vote of confidence in the race, not just for other Chinese brands, but for many companies around the world who are looking for a platform to help them transform their business, internally or externally or both.<\/p>\n
He continued: \u201cCharles Caudrelier over-delivered in the last edition with a crew that on paper were less experienced than some of the other teams. It\u2019s great that he is coming back as skipper. I think he will use the experience of the last race to build a great team.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The seven One Design Volvo Ocean 65s from last edition are currently undergoing a stringent re-fit procedure at the Race\u2019s Boatyard facility in Lisbon, Portugal \u2013 and an identical eighth boat is also currently built by Persico Marine in Bergamo, Italy.<\/p>\n
It has previously been announced that the next race will feature two Southeast Asian stops, Hong Kong and Guangzhou. It will be the fourth consecutive edition that the Race has stopped in China.<\/p>\n
In total, the Race will visit 11 cities in five continents, starting in Alicante and taking in Lisbon, Cape Town, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Auckland, Itaja\u00ed, Newport, Cardiff and Gothenburg before the finish in The Hague.<\/p>\n
via China is back in the Volvo Ocean Race as Dongfeng announce return in 2017-18 with Charles Caudrelier as skipper| Volvo Ocean Race<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The 42-year-old Frenchman is delighted to be representing China again: \u201cFor sure I am very happy because I have learnt about China and its people and I really enjoy working with them,\u201d he said. \u201cI am very happy to see … Continue reading