Only three months after finishing the last Volvo Ocean Race, Ericsson has announced its entry in the next edition of the race, due to start in Alicante, Spain, in autumn 2008.
Ericsson is the first team to announce its intention to take part. Its commitment is very good news for the race organizers who faced controversy after revealing plans to change the route and format for the next race.
Glenn Bourke, race CEO, said: “The confirmation of the entry from Ericsson, one of the biggest players in the world of telecommunications, so soon after the previous race, is a powerful commercial endorsement for the Volvo Ocean Race.
“It is a vote of confidence in the evolution of the event and underlines our status as the world's premier ocean race. Our objective in changing the race cycle from four years to three was to bring more continuity for the likes of Ericsson Racing Team and other teams.
“Ericsson was also our mobile technology partner in 2005-06. Their capabilities enabled us to engage a completely new audience through the Ericsson mobile channel. And from a competitive perspective, it is clear Ericsson feel they have unfinished business in this race.”
Ericsson finished fifth overall in the 2005-06 race having been beset by problems with the boat's canting keel mechanism. Britain's Neal MacDonald shared the skippering duties with John Kostecki of the USA.
Ericsson says the Volvo Ocean Race offers an unrivalled opportunity to reach its customers and showcase its products around the world.
Bert Nordberg, executive vice president, sales and marketing, said: “I can think of no other sporting event that would give us the same return on investment. The customer feedback from the previous race was fantastic - they loved it. And we had the added benefit of great brand exposure in many parts of the world. We have gained a lot of experience and with the new race course taking us to Asia-Pacific the decision to participate again was easy.”
The Ericsson Racing Team will now start to gear up again after a brief summer rest and build a strong three-year campaign based out of Stockholm, Sweden.
Richard Brisius, project director, said: “The predicted changes to the course and the improvement to the VO70 Rule will ensure that the 2008-9 edition of the Volvo Ocean Race will be the most exciting round the world race ever.
“Ericsson's continued commitment to the race is great news for the event, for the sailing world and proof that the Volvo Ocean Race delivers outstanding commercial values if utilized in the right way.
“The Ericsson Racing Team gained valuable experiences about the new boats and other aspects of the campaign during the last race, experiences that surely will be beneficial for Ericsson Racing Team going forward.”
Bert Nordberg continued: “When we got into the last race we knew that we were late and that it was a bit of a gamble both commercially and sports-wise. But already then we said: 'let's have a long-term perspective at this and keep the option of doing a second campaign very open'.”
The team is currently doing hospitality sailing with Ericsson's customers in Europe and will be located in the Mediterranean during this autumn.
Ericsson joins a select band of repeat entries in the race's 32-year history. Theirs is the first of five entries the race organisers will announce over the coming weeks. The identity of one of those syndicates is expected to be revealed as early as next week.
Bourke added: “The entries are piling up which is a healthy position for us to be in more than two years out from the start of the next race.”
For more information visit www.ericssonracingteam.com and www.volvooceanrace.com
