Volvo Penta to Be Exclusive Supplier of Engines for New Class of One-Design Sailboats for the Race
Recife, Brazil was unveiled as the first stopover port of the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race, which will kick off in Alicante, Spain, and end in the Swedish city of Gothenburg. Brazil will host a second stopover when the teams return to Itajaí, in the state of Santa Catarina, for the second race in a row.
The Race will reach North America in Newport, R.I., one of the world’s top sailing centers, in May 2015, according to an announcement made last week by the Volvo Ocean Race CEO, Knut Frostad in a presentation at the Rhode Island State House in Providence. “We are bringing the world’s greatest offshore sailing event to one of the world’s great sailing cities,” Frostad said.
“Already, preparations are well underway at Volvo Penta to support the racing teams in the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race,” said Ron Huibers, president of Volvo Penta Region Americas. “Volvo Penta is the exclusive supplier of engines and propulsion systems for the one-design Volvo Ocean 65 sailboats. We will mobilize all the necessary resources to ensure prompt and professional service for the sailboats at each port of call, through our more than 4,000 dealers in 130 countries, and our Volvo Penta Americas team looks forward to welcoming them at their stopovers in Brazil and Newport.”
Huibers noted that Newport was also one of the cities hosting the America’s Cup World Series last summer. “We are taking a big role in the America’s Cup World Series, having supplied the advanced propulsion systems with dynamic positioning technology for the support vessels used as course markers and VIP observation platforms for the races,” he said.
Other 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race cities will include Auckland, New Zealand, with more to be announced in coming weeks.