| ABN AMRO ONE WINS THE VOLVO OCEAN RACE 2005-2006 |
| Saturday, 17 June 2006 |
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ABN AMRO ONE WINS THE VOLVO OCEAN RACE 2005-2006
Mike Sanderson and his crew lift the trophy after winning the world’s premier ocean race
17 June 2006: ABN AMRO ONE today lifted the ‘Fighting Finish’ trophy, upon sailing into Gothenburg, Sweden, at the finish of the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-2006. The team who were insurpassable from the moment they finished leg seven in Portsmouth, UK, were jubilant to reach Gothenburg to be met by an excited crowd, finishing their round-the-world adventure in style.
For Mike and his team it has been an emphatic victory, winning six out of nine offshore legs plus five out of seven inshore races and they have proved that they are without doubt the premier team in this race. To add to their tally of achievements at the finish, watch captain Mark Christensen also became the first person to ever win three Whitbread/Volvo Ocean Races.
Amid celebrations on the dockside in Gothenburg, a delighted Mike Sanderson, skipper of ABN AMRO ONE commented: “I am very happy to be here, to finally be able to lift this trophy is a fantastic moment. We have won the Volvo Ocean Race - this is a dream come true. What an amazing opportunity we have had and that was what has made this TEAM unique. Today belonged to everyone - what happens on the water is a small part of the overall result and every person in every part of this campaign has been important.
This is my Olympic medal – I wanted to win the Volvo Ocean Race and that’s what we done. We took a bit of a slow bus to get the party but we made it!”
Mark Christensen, now three-time winner of the Volvo Ocean Race/Whitbread Round the World Race commented: “It hasn’t sunk in yet. I’m looking forward to enjoying this feeling for a couple of days and then go and spend some time with my family, which I’ve not done enough of in the last eighteen months.”
And of this race compared to the last two, “I enjoy the build up to these races the most. Obviously the racing is fun, but you come to realize that it is the decisions you make and the people who make those decisions that really makes the race. Tradition has it that the boat that wins the first leg, typically wins the race. I think that it is quite likely to be the case, as it is that boat that has done the most preparation. Some of the key decisions that we made in the first year of this campaign, and the build up to the start, showed all the way through. Before the start of this race, a lot of people wrote us off, but we had a lot of confidence in what we had done so that makes this a really good feeling.”
Jan Berent Heukensfeldt Jansen, CEO of TEAM ABN AMRO commented: “This is a fantastic achievement – it has been our lives for two and a half years. It is a long time. But it has been down to preparation and team work and this is such a good team. We have had some tough times but we have recovered and won the race. I am very proud, but not only of the sailing team - the shore team did an amazing job working day and night. And if you see where we are now it is a pity is it finished. Everyone is very proud and we are proud to be part of the Volvo Ocean Race community.”
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