Volvo Ocean Race
|
Volvo announced that the 2008 Volvo Ocean Race will have its seconds stopover in Kochi, in the Indian state of Kerala in December this year. The Kochi of the 2008 Volvo Ocean Race will come after a run from Cape Town, South Africa.
Press Release
Kochi in India to host Volvo Ocean Race for first time
Kochi, in the Indian state of Kerala, is confirmed as the host of the second stopover of the Volvo Ocean Race in December 2008. The Indian stopover will come at the end of the second leg of the race from Cape Town, South Africa. Kochi will be the first of three new ports in Asia.
At the Abad Plaza in Kochi today, the stopover port agreement was signed by Andy Hindley, Race Director for the Volvo Ocean Race; Mr. N. Ramachandran, Chairman, Kochi Port Trust and Mr. KG Mohanlal, Managing Director, Kerala Tourism Development Corporation.
Also present at the press conference were Mr. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, the Hon. Minister for Home, Vigilance and Tourism and Dr. Venu, Secretary of Kerala Tourism.
The Kochi Port Trust, which will be responsible for organising the stopover, with the full backing of the Kerala Tourism Department, welcomed the signing of the port agreement today and is confident that the stopover will give Kochi great exposure.
“India has never hosted such a prestigious sailing event and we are very excited that Kochi has been chosen,” said Mr. Ramachandran.
The booming shipping port on the Malabar Coast is now one of India’s foremost tourist destinations and the race stopover is sure to bring thousands of additional visitors to both Kochi and the State of Kerala. The Kerala State Tourism Department envisages the event will bring significant visibility as well as economic benefit to the region.
“Kerala Tourism sees this as an opportunity to project Kochi as an exciting destination, and we will be happy to extend all support to the Kochi Port Trust to bring the event to the State,” Dr Venu commented.
The Yachting Association of India (YAI), an active advocate of the race coming to India, sees the hosting of a stopover as an important boost to India’s ongoing campaign to establish itself as a venue for hosting major sporting events following its successful bid to stage the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in 2010.
“Hosting one of the world’s top three sailing events will obviously boost any future bid to host major sailing as well as other sports events in India,” said Commander Ajay Narang, Honorary Joint Secretary-General, YAI. “It will also be a tremendous fillip for local sailing,” he added.
It is the first time that India is hosting such a prestigious sailing event and Kochi will be the
only port of call in India. The seven yachts participating in the race will arrive in Kochi in December 2008 and will stay for 10 days, before starting leg three to Sentosa Island in Singapore. A race village covering 2.5 acres of land will be set up near the BTP berth at Willingdon Island.
Glenn Bourke, CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race commented: “It has always been part of our vision to take the race to different and wider audiences and we are delighted that Kochi has become part of that vision. India not only presents huge opportunities for the development of the event, but this coupled with the daunting challenges the competitors will face when racing their grand prix yachts in unfamiliar waters, will make the visit to India even more exciting for everyone involved. India has hundreds of millions of enthusiastic sports fans and we know they will enjoy this challenging race, with its passion, teamwork, adventure and excitement.”
The 2008-09 event will be the 10th running of this ocean marathon. Starting from Alicante in Spain on 4 October 2008, it will for the first time, take in ports in Asia. Spanning some 39,000 nautical miles, stopping at around 11 ports and taking nine months to complete, the Volvo Ocean Race is the world’s premier yacht race for professional racing crews.
| |
Also see ...
Volvo XC60 price for the UK market has been announced by Volvo. For the 2.4D AWD (163 PS) version, the Volvo XC60 price will start at 24,750 pounds. While for the T6 AWD (285 PS) Geartronic model, the price for Volvo XC60 will goes up to 34,495 pounds. And for the middle of the range SE trim, the Volvo XC60 price will start at 26,250 pounds. Available in three trim levels - S, SE and SE Lux, the new Volvo XC60 will come with a choice between three engines: the turbocharged T6 producing 285PS, and two variants of the D5 turbodiesel generating 185 and 163 horsepower, respectively. Additionally, the new crossover will go on tour across the UK this summer. Press Release Volvo Car UK announces preliminary prices1 for the new XC60, the safest and most stunning Volvo ever. This new crossover vehicle combines XC capability with sports coupe styling and will start at £24,750 for the 2.4D S. The Volvo XC60 will arrive in dealer showrooms and be available for customer test drives this October, wi...
Volvo XC70 is one of the best cars for a trip to the ski slopes. That’s because the Volvo XC70 is equipped with All Wheel Drive with Instant TractionTM, DSTC stability-enhancement system, Hill Descent Control, and an active chassis. Press Release Volvo XC70 - perfect for a trip to the ski slopes The Volvo XC70 behaves with impeccable stability and consistency in all situations. This is particularly noticeable on winter roads when the surface can quickly switch between ice, asphalt and snow. Volvo’s All Wheel Drive system and DSTC stability-enhancement system ensure good road grip. What is more, the new Hill Descent Control function makes it easier to crawl securely down steep gradients and drive safely on slippery surfaces. Volvo’s new six-cylinder engine ensures that the Volvo XC70 gets all the power and drive ability that a true adventure car needs. All Wheel Drive with Instant TractionTM Volvo’s active All Wheel Drive (AWD) system ensures the best possible ro...
Volvo unveiled three special edition models at the Geneva Motor Show: the Volvo V70, XC70 and XC90 Ocean Race. The Volvo Ocean Race special edition models featuring Ocean Blue pearlescent paint, designed with Volvo Ocean Race emblem and chrome exterior details. Unfortunately, we have to wait the detailed information on the Volvo V70, XC70 and XC90 Ocean Race models in June upon showroom arrival. Press Release VOLVO UNVEILS VOLVO OCEAN RACE SPECIAL EDITION MODELS Volvo starts the countdown to the next round-the-world Volvo Ocean Race with the launch of special Volvo Ocean Race editions of the V70, XC70 and XC90 at the Geneva Motor Show today. A unique Ocean Blue pearlescent paint immediately differentiates the Volvo Ocean Race editions from the standard models and the appearance is further enhanced with a new, more exclusively designed Volvo Ocean Race emblem and chrome exterior details. The special edition cars are also available in Electric Silver. All the cars feature full Ocean Race...
The Volvo XC90 R-design program includes sill moldings in brushed stainless steel, a sport chassis, a sport steering wheel and gear selector of perforated leather and sports seats. The Volvo XC90 R-design also equipped with additional lateral cushioning to support the driver, even in faster cornering. With a combination of two different grades of leather, the seats of the Volvo XC90 R-design enhanced by decor piping in different color shades. Press Release Spice up your Volvo XC90 with R-design - the choice for customers with a refined taste Volvo Cars’ R-design programme - a sporty factory-fitted option package - is now also available for the Volvo XC90. R-design is tailor made for customers who want a car with refined attributes. The package is also available for the Volvo C30, Volvo S40 and Volvo V50. “The possibility of tailoring one’s car to suit personal tastes is becoming increasingly important to car buyers today. R-design has been developed for buyers who wan...
The 2009 Volvo S80 and Volvo XC90 Executive will have a series of improvements to reinforce and add to their luxury appeal. As announced by Volvo, the 2009 Volvo S80 and Volvo XC90 Executive will receive front seats with massage and ventilation functions and a range of enhanced materials and interior trim details. Both the 2009 Volvo S80 Executive and the 2009 Volvo XC90 Executive will equipped with a soft leather trim for the center console. As an optional addition, the rear of the front seat headrests may be equippe&...
The 2009 Volvo V70 R Design will become available soon in Britain, with the first cars arriving in August 2008. Apart from its obvious visual upgrades, the 2009 Volvo V70 R Design features sharper driving characteristics, lowered sports chassis, and also a more dynamic handling. The 2009 Volvo V70 R Design price will be at 26,745 pounds for the 2.0 liter petrol engine. Press Release From May 2008, the new Volvo V70 will be available in R-DESIGN specification, adding a new appealing dimension to Volvo’s ultimate estate car. The refined V70 R-DESIGN package combines sporty visual features with a specially tuned lowered sports chassis and sharper driving characteristics to offer customers the pr...
