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Vestas to participate in Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18

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Under the leadership of two experienced sailors from the 2014-15 race, the “Vestas 11th Hour Racing”-team sets out to address climate change and promote sustainable solutions while achieving exemplary results in sport. Skippered by Charlie Enright and managed by Mark Towill, Vestas 11th Hour Racing is the fourth team to join the starting line-up in Alicante in October 2017.

The 2017-18 edition of the Volvo Ocean Race will call at 12 ports, taking sailors and fans on a 45,000-nautical-mile race around the world, bringing the race to many of Vestas’ most important markets, from Europe to South Africa, China, Brazil and the USA. The race finishes in June 2018, with a special final leg passing through the home of Vestas’ headquarters in Aarhus, Denmark, in a mark of the course event as the boats make their way to the grand finale in The Hague.

Through harnessing the power of the wind, Vestas 11th Hour Racing supports Vestas’ commercial goals and is a unique platform to promote Vestas’ vision to be the global leader in sustainable energy solutions. “The Volvo Ocean Race is a proven platform for Vestas and a unique strategic fit to promote our new vision and market-leading energy solutions in our key markets while engaging with customers,” said Vestas President and CEO, Anders Runevad. “Furthermore, our partnership with 11th Hour Racing sends a very strong signal on climate change as two leading players within sustainability combine forces to promote sustainable solutions within wind and water.”

Having competed in Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 as “Team Vestas Wind”, where running aground and rebuilding the boat minimised sporting results, Vestas 11th Hour Racing is aiming high for the 2017-18 edition: “This is our opportunity to win the most epic sprint around the globe, whilst creating attention around the many solutions that are already available to meet some of our fragile planet’s most pressing challenges like climate change and plastic islands. We are delighted to have Mark and Charlie on board as strong ambassadors for our cause, and look forward to announcing more crew details and project milestones soon,” adds Group Senior Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Public Affairs, Morten Dyrholm.

For updated Vestas photographs and videos, please visit our media images page on: https://www.vestas.com/en/media/images.    

For more information, please contact:
Anders Riis, Head of External Communications
Tel: +45 4181 3922
Mail: ANPRR@vestas.com

Thomas John McMaw, Senior Project Manager, Vestas 11th Hour Racing
Tel: + 34 662 660 800
Email: TJOMC@vestas.com

About Vestas
Vestas is the energy industry’s global partner on wind power solutions. We design, manufacture, install, and service wind turbines across the globe, and with close to 82 GW of wind turbines in 76 countries, we have installed more wind power than anyone else. Through our industry-leading smart data capabilities and unparalleled more than 71 GW of wind turbines under service, we use data to interpret, forecast, and exploit wind resources and deliver best-in-class wind power solutions. Together with our customers, Vestas’ more than 21,800 employees are bringing the world sustainable energy solutions to power a bright future.

We invite you to learn more about Vestas by visiting our website at http://www.vestas.com and following us on our social media channels:

About 11th Hour Racing
11th Hour Racing, a program of The Schmidt Family Foundation, establishes strategic partnerships within the sailing and marine communities to promote collaborative systemic change for the health of our marine environment. 11th Hour Racing aims to increase our understanding of the ocean, find innovative solutions to the challenges that impact marine resources, and promote stewardship of the seas through three main areas of engagement: grants, sponsorships, and ambassadors. For more information, please visit www.11thhourracing.org.

We invite you to learn more about Vestas 11th Hour Racing by visiting our websites at http://www.vestas11thhourracing.com and following us on our social media channels:

About Volvo Ocean Race
The Volvo Ocean Race is the ultimate ocean marathon, pitting the sport's best sailors against each other across the world's toughest oceans. The legendary race that began in 1973 will start from Alicante, Spain in October 2017 and finish in The Hague, Netherlands in June 2018. Featuring almost three times as much Southern Ocean sailing as in the previous edition, the Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18 will be contested over the longest distance in the race’s history at around 45,000 nautical miles, crossing four oceans and taking in 12 major cities on six continents.

The Volvo Ocean Race has been the global sponsorship flagship of Volvo Group and Volvo Car Group since taking ownership of the Race in 1999. The Volvo Ocean Race is operated as a non-profit organisation.    

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