Volvo Ocean Race, Knut Frostad al lavoro per salvare Team Russia
OceanoTeam RussiaVelaVolvo Ocean Race 30 Dicembre 2008 Zerogradinord 0
[singlepic=1242,170,250,,left]Volvo Ocean Race – Singapore – Mentre Kosatka, lasciata Singapore, naviga alla volta di Città del Capo sotto la guida del suo skipper Andreas Hanakamp, il management di Team Russia e Knut Frostad sono al lavoro per trovare i fondi sufficienti per garantire la sopravvivenza del consorzio di Oleg Zherebtsov, messo in standby poche ore dopo la conclusione della terza tappa a causa della mancanza di fondi.
Frostad, CEO della Volvo Ocean Race, era stato informato della situazione sei settimane fa e ha dedicato buona parte del mese di dicembre alla ricerca di uno o più sponsor che volessero legare il proprio marchio al VOR 70 di Zherebtsov. Si stima che per completare la campagna, Team Russia necessiti almeno di un altro milione e mezzo di Euro.
“Abbiamo provato ad aiuatrli, ma non siamo riusciti a reperire i fondi in tempo per la ripartenza da Singapore, così il team si è ritirato dalle due tappe successive. Continueremo a lavorare per riportarli in gara – ha spiegato Knut Frostad – Questo è sintomatico di quanto sta accadendo nel mondo dello sport. La crisi economica ha un impatto notevole su ogni compagnia coinvolta in questa regata ed è inevitabile che i tagli riguardino marketing e sponsorizzazioni. Dovessimo riuscire nell’impresa e reperire i fondi necessari, Kosatka potrebbe tornare in gara già a Rio da Janeiro o, al più tardi, in Irlanda, dove la flotta arriverà verso la fine di maggio”.
[audio:Frostad_291208.mp3]
Knut Frostad commenta la situazione di Team Russia. Audio courtesy Volvo Ocean Race.
Ranking after three legs
1 – Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael/BRA) pt. 35
2 – Telefónica Blue ESP (Bouwe Bekking/NED) pt. 30.5
3 – Puma Racing Team USA (Ken Read/USA) pt. 27.5
4 – Ericsson 3 SWE (Anders Lewander/SWE) pt. 23.5
5 – Green Dragon IRL/CHN (Ian Walker/GBR) pt. 20.5
6 – Telefónica Black ESP (Fernando Echávarri/ESP) pt. 19.5
7 – Team Russia RUS (Andreas Hanakamp/AUT) pt. 10.5
8 – Team Delta Lloyd IRL (Roberto Bermudez/ESP) pt. 9.0
Per seguire la regata sul Race Tracker clicca qui.
Per visitare la sezione video clicca qui.
VOLVO OCEAN RACE, CAN TEAM RUSSIA BE RE-BORN
[Volvo Ocean Race Press Release] Hopes are running high that Team Russia will attract sufficient funding to allow a return to the Volvo Ocean Race track next year, according to race CEO Knut Frostad. The campaign raised and funded by Russian supermarket entrepreneur Oleg Zherebtsov was disbanded just hours after the crew arrived in Singapore at the end of the third leg when it was confirmed that the funds had run out as a direct consequence of the global economic crisis.
Frostad was informed six weeks ago that the campaign was in trouble and has worked with Zherebtsov and his management team to find a solution. It is estimated that the campaign needs a further 1.5 million euros to complete the race.
The boat will be sailed to Cape Town by Austrian skipper Andreas Hanakamp and a team of Austrian sailors while attempts are made to raise funds.
“We have been trying to help them but no more funding has been secured in time for the restart in Singapore so the team has withdrawn from the next two legs of the race. We will keep on working to get them back into the race. It is symptomatic of what is happening across the world of sport. The world economic crisis has a impact on every company associated with this race and it was inevitable that cost cutting would extend to marketing and sponsorship as we have seen in many sports. If we have secured some parties interested in funding, they could continue to Rio for a restart or go on to Europe to be ready for subsequent legs,” explained Frostad.
“But with the present financial climate it is very difficult to say whether we will see Team Russia in this race again because it is not easy for anyone to get sponsorship at the moment. But we are working hard on it and have a number of options. The Team Russian campaign is an interesting campaign with a strong Russian identity. It is a solid boat and the team have done a good job bearing in mind the uncertainty surrounding the campaign which has made it difficult for them to focus. The crew are devastated. This is a lifelong dream for many of them so it has come as a shock but it is a fact of life that companies are making drastic reductions. I feel sorry for everyone involved and I hope that we can get some of them back. Oleg is also very disappointed. He has worked hard to get this campaign to the start line but he is optimistic about the future and motivated to keep working hard with us to look for new opportunities”.
[audio:Frostad_291208.mp3]
Knut Frostad talks about Team Russia‘s situation. Audio courtesy Volvo Ocean Race.
Ranking after three legs
1 – Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael/BRA) pt. 35
2 – Telefónica Blue ESP (Bouwe Bekking/NED) pt. 30.5
3 – Puma Racing Team USA (Ken Read/USA) pt. 27.5
4 – Ericsson 3 SWE (Anders Lewander/SWE) pt. 23.5
5 – Green Dragon IRL/CHN (Ian Walker/GBR) pt. 20.5
6 – Telefónica Black ESP (Fernando Echávarri/ESP) pt. 19.5
7 – Team Russia RUS (Andreas Hanakamp/AUT) pt. 10.5
8 – Team Delta Lloyd IRL (Roberto Bermudez/ESP) pt. 9.0
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To visit the video gellery click here.
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