MAPFRE shines in Newport

All active teams have now won an In-Port in the Volvo Ocean Race

MAPFRE, with Iker Martínez back on board as skipper dominated the Team Vestas Wind In-Port Race Newport today, leading from start to finish to claim their first victory in an in-port race.

The Spanish team grabbed a narrow advantage at the first mark, but was chased all the way by the home team, Team Alvimedica which secured second place on the podium, but never really threatened MAPFRE. Racing was held in light winds and was predominantly straight-line sailing with almost no opportunities to pass.

“We are improving slowly and that’s the way we want to do these things,” commented Martinez. “Today we were first and we’re feeling super good." 

Team Alvimedica skipper Charlie Enright said: “It’s great that everybody came out and supported us today. I am glad we had a decent showing for them with a podium position. The race was a little bit of a procession but we were rewarded for a pretty good start. We hung on and made the right choices at the gates – once we got to where we were, it was just a matter of keeping it.”

The Ian Walker-led Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing landed the final place on the podium - its 12th from 13 starts - which has now put into the lead of the overall In-Port Race rankings, displacing Team Brunel, which suffered an uncharactistically poor start and seemed destined to bring up the rear until finally edging out Dongfeng Race Team to take fifth. Walker's UAE team had to fight their way through from the back of the pack.

“The in-port racing is always tight,” commented Walker. “But the natural topography in Newport means the racecourse is long and narrow and that forced the yachts even closer together and that made it harder to find passing lanes.”

ADOR navigator Simon Fisher agreed: “The tactical options were few and far between. We had to stay calm and take our chances when they came. In the end, third is a good result and it puts us back on top in the series by a point.”

MAPFRE's victory today means that, with the exception of Team Vestas Wind, every team in this Volvo Ocean Race has won an in-port race at least once.

Newport Team Vestas Wind In-Port Race results:

1. MAPFRE (Spain) 14:55:41 1pt
2. Team Alvimedica (Turkey/USA) 14:56:39 2
3. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing 14:57:38 3
4. Team SCA (Sweden) 14:57:57 4
5. Team Brunel (Netherlands) 14:58:17 5
6. Dongfeng Race Team (China) 14:59:09 6
DNS. Team Vestas Wind (Denmark) 8.

In-Port Race Series overall standings (after seven races):

1. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing 19pts
2. Team Brunel 20
3. Team SCA 24
4. Dongfeng Race Team 27
5. Team Alvimedica 28
6. MAPFRE 31
7. Team Vestas Wind 52.