PUMA OCEAN RACING POWERED BY BERG FINISHES STRONG, WINS FINAL IN-PORT RACE IN GALWAY
Please click to enlarge the image.
GALWAY, IRELAND (July 7, 2012) – The PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG team closed out the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 on a high note, winning the Discover Ireland In-Port Race on Saturday, July 7, in Galway, Ireland. PUMA crossed the line with a time of 53 minutes, 12 seconds, 1:19 ahead of second-place CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand. With the win, PUMA also captures the overall In-Port Race Series.
“We wanted to go out with a bang,” said skipper Ken Read. “We took a little risk off the starting line and it paid off for us. It was such a short first run that starboard tack was going to have a huge advantage if everything was equal.
“Winning anything is fun, whether it's an In-Port Race or a game of checkers. And, it's fun to compete against the best sailors in the world,” Read said. “We definitely waited pretty long for an In-Port win, but consistency paid off. We’re really pleased, and I’m happy for the whole program – it’s a great way to finish.”
The win marked PUMA’s first trip to the top of the podium for an In-Port Race in this edition of the Volvo Ocean Race. PUMA finished on the podium in nine of the 10 In-Port Races, collecting 45 total points to win the overall In-Port Race Series. The crew was tied with CAMPER going into today’s final race and won the series by one point.
“It’s a pretty ecstatic feeling, and a huge sense of accomplishment,” said media crew member Amory Ross. “It was a long trip, but it’s already starting to sink in and we’re getting a little sentimental. This was a great note to end on today.”
PUMA finished third overall in the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 and closes out the race with 226 points. Groupama took home the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 trophy with 253 points, and CAMPER was second at 231. The PUMA crew notched two leg wins – Leg 5 from Auckland, New Zealand, to Itajaí, Brazil; and Leg 6 from Itajaí to Miami, Florida, USA – and they were on the podium after seven of nine legs.
PUMA set out on the around-the-world Volvo Ocean Race on November 5, 2011, from Alicante, Spain. Early Tuesday morning, July 3, they completed the journey they started when PUMA’s Mar Mostro crossed the line in Galway, Ireland – the final port of 10 stops across the globe. The crew traveled approximately 39,270 nautical miles.
The PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG team is under the leadership of Read (Newport, Rhode Island, United States). Collectively, the crew has won the Around the World Race six times. The core includes: Tom Addis, Navigator (Sydney, Australia); Ryan Godfrey, Pitman (Adelaide, Australia); Kelvin Harrap, Helmsman & Inshore Tactician (Napier, New Zealand); Brad Jackson, Design Coordinator & Watch Captain (Auckland, New Zealand); Rome Kirby, Trimmer & Driver (Newport, Rhode Island, USA); Michael “Michi” Müller, Bowman (Kiel, Germany); Tony Mutter, Aerodynamics Coordinator & Watch Captain (Auckland, New Zealand); Casey Smith, Bowman (Brisbane, Australia); Jonathan “Jono” Swain, Helmsman & Trimmer (Durban, South Africa); Amory Ross, Media Crew Member (Newport, Rhode Island, USA); Kimo Worthington, General Manager (Portsmouth, Rhode Island, United States); and Tim Hacket, Shore Team Manager (Sydney, Australia).
QUOTES
Ken Read: “At the end of the race there were some big hugs, some big hand shakes. Everyone understands what we’ve done and are proud of it. We’ll always have this bond of what we’ve accomplished.”
Amory Ross: “Any kind of sporting event like this you participate to find your limit. Challenging yourself is a big part of why guys sign up to do this race over and over again. I know both professionally and personally I’ve grown through the process.”
NOTES
· PUMA’s first In-Port Race win of the 2008-09 race was in Galway.
· PUMA CEO Franz Koch and BERG CEO Håkan Svensson were guests onboard PUMA’s Mar Mostro for the Discover Ireland In-Port Race.
RESULTS
Discover Ireland In-Port Race
POS TEAM TOTAL TIME
1 PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG 6 53:06
2 CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand 5 54:26
3 Team Telefónica 4 55:03
4 Groupama Sailing Team 3 55:36
5 Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing 2 57:07
6 Team Sanya 1 57:39
Overall Standings:
POS TEAM OVERALL
1 Groupama Sailing Team 253
2 CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand 231
3 PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG 226
4 Team Telefónica 213
5 Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing 131
6 Team Sanya 51
PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG scoring:
POS RACE/LEG PTS TOTAL
2 Alicante In-Port Race 5 5
-- Leg 1* -- 5
3 Cape Town In-Port Race 4 9
3 Leg 2, Stage 1 16 25
4 Leg 2, Stage 2 (3rd in Leg 2 overall) 3 28
4 Abu Dhabi In-Port Race 3 31
2 Leg 3, Stage 1 5 36
4 Leg 3, Stage 2 (4th in Leg 3 overall) 12 48
2 Sanya In-Port Race 5 53
2 Leg 4 25 78
2 Auckland In-Port Race 5 83
1 Leg 5 30 113
3 Itajaí In-Port Race 4 117
1 Leg 6 30 147
3 Miami In-Port Race 4 151
3 Leg 7 20 171
2 Lisbon In-Port Race 5 176
3 Leg 8 20 196
3 Lorient In-Port Race 4 200
3 Leg 9 20 220
1 Galway In-Port Race 6 226
* Retired from leg
For more information on the race, team and crew visit www.puma.com/sailing. Find photos, video and additional content at www.pumasailingnewsroom.com.
Previous story:
RSS Feed
