David Coulthard to helm Hugo Boss at Skandia Cowes Week
by Mary Ambler 31 Jul 2003 15:37 BST
Davina McCall launches the Farr 65 'Hugo Boss' © Ingrid Abery
HUGO BOSS announce today that David Coulthard, Team McLaren Mercedes’ British Formula 1 driver, will be taking the wheel of Formula 1 Sailing’s brand new Farr 65 ‘HUGO BOSS’ on Friday 8th August during Skandia Cowes Week regatta.
David Coulthard will join the ‘HUGO BOSS’ sailing team, skippered by Alex Thomson, founder of Formula 1 Sailing, on their final ‘test drive’ and training day before taking the start line of the Rolex Fastnet Race at 10am on Sunday 10th August from the Royal Yacht Squadron.
Team McLaren Mercedes driver David Coulthard says:
“I have always enjoyed sailing and spend a lot of time on my boat in Monaco, but this is my first time at the helm in a race. HUGO BOSS are McLaren’s longest serving partner so I am especially excited to be involved with their first yachting partnership. I will enjoy learning from Alex during the race and am pretty sure that as soon as we’re in the countdown to the gun my competitive streak will come out just as it does when I’m on the starting grid of a Formula One race, and I will do everything I can to ensure a top performance.“
Alex Thomson, record-breaking offshore skipper, will be on hand to coach Coulthard around the course, but the racing driver is fully responsible for helming ‘HUGO BOSS’, as Thomson explains:
“I won’t be touching the wheel all day, David is here to have the Formula 1 experience on the water, which means driving the boat himself and competing against other ocean-racing machines right off the starting blocks to the finish line. Having David Coulthard on board will be a great motivation to the ‘HUGO BOSS’ sailing team and add a sharp edge to the racing, which we are all excited about.”
Dr Bruno Sälzer, CEO of HUGO BOSS AG comments:
“With a 22 year history of partnering McLaren, it is fantastic that David is here to support our first association with sailing. We are all very excited about this new area of sport sponsorship for HUGO BOSS. There are many parallels between Formula 1 and sailing and we are positive that Alex and his crew will apply the same level of professionalism and skill to sailing ‘HUGO BOSS’ as David does driving his Team McLaren Mercedes Formula One car.“
‘HUGO BOSS’ will be racing in Class 0 for Skandia Cowes Week with the distinctive sail number ‘GBR 8055 L’, and moored off the Royal Yacht Squadron during the regatta.
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