Volvo 60's illbruck Challenge Begins Training in Charleston, South Carolina

by Jane Eagleson on 12 Mar 2001 - The illbruck Challenge team is now training for the Volvo Ocean Race from Charleston, South Carolina on the East Coast of the U.S. as the team enters its final phase of preparation for the around-the-world race that starts in September.

The team has established a base camp at the Charleston Harbour Marina where they are sailing with both of the illbruck Volvo 60 training boats. The sailing team arrived to Charleston last week for six weeks of sail testing and training before the new race boat arrives in May. Once the new boat arrives, the team will sail one of their training boats, the former EF Langu-age, the 1997-98 Whitbread Round the World winner, as a benchmark a-gainst the new Volvo 60.

'After two summers of testing in Spain, we decided to base ourselves in a new environment that would provide a different set of conditions,' said skipper John Kostecki. 'Being based on the East Coast in between the race stopovers of Miami and Baltimore/Annapolis, gives us the opportunity to gain some experience in the Gulf Stream. The Charleston base provides the benefit of an early spring season with enough shore space to meet our needs. We are looking forward to some productive sailing here.'

The new race boat is now in the final stages of construction at the illbruck plant in Leverkusen where the boat is being built. The boat will be christe-ned in Leverkusen March 31 and then shipped to Charleston in April. The race crew will train with the new boat out of Charleston before crossing the Atlantic in July to England. In the final weeks prior to the race start on September 23, the team will compete in the Fastnet Race and remain ba-sed in England.

The illbruck Challenge is a competitive international sailing program that over the past 30 years has earned success at many of the world's top re-gattas. The illbruck Challenge is now pursuing the world's two pinnacle sailing events: the Volvo Ocean Race, the world's premier ocean race, and the America's Cup, the world's top match racing event. The illbruck Chal-lenge is representing the Duesseldorf Yacht Club in Germany's first-ever Challenge for the America's Cup, the competition for the oldest internatio-nal trophy in sport.

illbruck GmbH is a privately held international company with autonomous business units including Automotive, Sealant Systems, Bath Installation Systems, Architectural Surfaces, and Filtration Systems/Insulation Sys-tems. Founded in 1952, illbruck has 35 locations in15 countries worldwide and is headquartered in Leverkusen, Germany. The illbruck Challenge embodies the philosophy of the illbruck company: success through motiva-tion, flexibility and team spirit. The illbruck Challenge is the image medi-um and primary vehicle for illbruck's global and internal corporate identi-fication.


For more information contact Jane Eagleson, Director Marketing Communica-tions
Phone: +49/2171/391-265
Mobile: +49/174/9785273
Fax: +49/2171/391-581
Email: jeagleson@illbruckchallenge.com
www.illbruckChallenge.com.