Dongfeng Race Team win Volvo Ocean Race Leg 6
by Volvo Ocean Race 7 May 2015 06:57 BST
6 May 2015
A glorious comeback
Skipper Caudrelier praises shore crew after thrilling win
Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing within four minutes of victors
Dongfeng Race Team (Charles Caudrelier/FRA) edged overall Volvo Ocean Race leaders Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR) by just three minutes and 25 seconds to win Leg 6 to Newport after an enthralling duel over the past 24 hours.
The result cuts the Emirati boat's lead over the Chinese-backed challengers to six points and marks a fantastic comeback for Caudrelier and his crew after they were forced to pull out of the previous leg to Itajaí because of a broken mast.
The French skipper paid tribute to his shore crew who managed to fit a new rig in under a week in Brazil and prepare the boat for the 5,010-nautical mile (nm), ultra-competitive next stage through the Atlantic.
"For this leg, the goal was to be ready in Itajaí and the (shore) crew did a fantastic job. I'd like to give them the victory," said Caudrelier.
"I'm very proud of them and very happy to take this first place. They worked very hard to get this boat ready. I'm really, really happy."
Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing made Caudrelier and his men work all the way for the win after 17 days at sea and even threatened to overturn their lead as they passed Block Island 30nm from the finish.
"We were within a couple of lengths of getting over them at Block Island - literally three or four boat lengths from rolling them - but they held on and dug deep. Very well deserved win," said Walker.
Caudrelier's hopes of bouncing back for the triumph had looked in serious jeopardy just two days into the leg, which started on April 19, when the electronic water-maker, which converts sea water into drinking water, broke down.
He said if his crew had not been able to repair it, they would have had to make a 12-hour stop.
'We wouldn't have had to retire, but we would have had to stop and fix it. When you stop in this race, you see the difference between the boats, and that means the leg is over because it means you lose at least 12 hours," said Caudrelier, whose boat finished in an elapsed time of 17 days, nine hours and three minutes exactly after leaving Itajaí.
"That would have meant another leg where we would have finished last."
Dutch challengers Team Brunel (Bouwe Bekking/NED) finished just over 55 minutes after Dongfeng to claim the final podium spot following yet another closely-fought leg.
It will have been a big relief to Bekking whose boat has been pipped in similar close finishes in earlier legs.
"It's always good to be back on the podium. But the race is lost for us, we have to tell the public about that, because Abu Dhabi has an inaccessible lead now compared to us," he said.
"Dongfeng still has a good chance. They sailed an excellent leg, congratulations to them. And to Abu Dhabi too – they both sailed very well.
"We're aiming for second and we still want to win the In-Port Series as well. We're in the lead over there. We've got a couple of things to sail for – and of course we want to win a couple of legs."
MAPFRE (Xabi Fernández/ESP) followed Team Brunel home in fourth spot with an elapsed time of 17 days 10 hours 34 minutes and 25 seconds with Team Alvimedica (Charlie Enright/USA) heading for a home town welcome in fifth place ahead of Team SCA (Sam Davies/GBR), who were expected to finish later on Thursday.
Current latest standings:
(low points wins, Team Alvimedica* and Team SCA* yet to finish Leg 6)
1) Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing 11pts
2) Dongfeng Race Team 17pts
3) Team Alvimedica 19*pts
4) Team Brunel 21pts
5) MAPFRE 24pts
6) Team SCA 29*pts
7) Team Vestas (Denmark) 44pts
www.volvooceanrace.com
From broken mast to first place, Dongfeng win Leg 6 (from Dongfeng Race Team)
Dongfeng's American dream became a reality just after dark local time (early hours 7th May UTC), winning leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race in Newport, USA, beating their arch rivals Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing by just 3 minutes and 25 seconds.
Skipper Charles Caudrelier immediately dedicated this leg win to his shore team: "I would like to dedicate this victory to the shore team. It started in Ushuaia with the shore crew, when first they delivered the boat to Itajai and then fixed the boat and put in a new mast in less than one week. They worked so hard to have the boat ready – I am very proud of them. Everyone on the boat for this leg did a fantastic job and that was the key to winning, for sure. All the team deserves this victory. All the crew have improved, the Chinese improve, we get stronger and stronger each time. To beat Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing shows we have become a great team."
In many ways there was more at stake for Dongfeng – Abu Dhabi were going to be happy with a 2nd in terms of overall points. But for Dongfeng the energy gained from the comeback was worth more than just the points of victory.
The leg from Itajai, Brazil to Newport, USA has been by no means straightforward. A broken water maker 24 hours into the leg nearly threatened the team's hopes and dreams, but the indefatigable Kevin Escoffier (Mr Fixit) managed to make a repair that lasted. Then it was head back into the race and by day 7, the Chinese team were in the lead with 3,364nm to go: "It was a complicated leg, we had a big advantage in speed sometimes, not easy to make the right tactical decisions all the time, so speed was so important. We had something like 10 lead changes. We gained slowly a small advance but every time the other guys came back. Abu Dhabi sailed very well – we made a mistake one or two nights ago – we were 10 miles ahead but they got ahead again and we lost a lot. And then they were ahead of us just two or three hours ago when we hit a light spot. It was just crazy but we had a nice fight with them!"
It was always a question mark as to whether Dongfeng could bounce back after being forced to retire from Leg 5 with a broken mast. "I have never seen the gang so focused and intense," said American Onboard Reporter, Sam Greenfield. "When we won leg 3 into Sanya our lead was comfortable. This time Abu Dhabi was right over our shoulder and breathing down our dry-seals [necks]."
In one of the most intense finishes the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 has ever seen, the identical boats and sheer determination of both teams ensured it was a neck and neck battle lasted right up to the finish line. It was clear that both teams were giving it everything they had with every ounce of energy they had left as they approached the finish.
With only three short legs remaining, and a commanding points lead, the race is Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing's to lose. "Now we still have to push hard – this was the first step to come back in the race after the 8 points we got breaking the mast," said Kevin Escoffier. "We still have three legs to come back on Abu Dhabi and I hope they will do a mistake and we can be better than them. For sure they have not made many but statistically they can. Its not over."