Photos: L Remmelt Staal R Remmelt Staal

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Wed, 05 Mar 2008 15:00:00 UTC

Knut Frostad is clear about where the focus of attention should fall for the 2008-09 event and where his managerial energies will be channelled.

In his first official public engagement as the new Volvo Ocean Race CEO, at the Amsterdam Boat Show, he spoke of highlighting the feats of the people on the front line – the sailors – and the challenges they face.

“They are the actors in this movie, I am just the director,” he said. “There is only space for a few personalities in this event and I want to concentrate on building the profiles of the people who actually race these boats around the globe.

“For us, as organisers, it will be a major challenge and I am looking forward to being involved in the running of the event.

“I loved sailing the Volvo Open 70 though at times I was pretty scared. It was an amazing experience. Every time you heard someone screaming on deck you wondered if it was because there was a major problem or if it was just because that was the only way to make yourself heard,” he says.

Now, he says, he is ready to step back, even if there will be an emotional tug when the fleet leaves Alicante in October 2008.

For 40-year-old Frostad, a veteran of four Whitbread/Volvo races, taking the reins with just over seven months to the start means that much is already in place. The new route has been published and the rule changes are being incorporated in the build programmes.

“The table is laid,” he says, “but that does not mean that everything is set in stone and the initial challenge is to make this one work. I recognise that I am playing a hand that is already dealt, so this is a delivery challenge.”

During the Amsterdam event, Volvo Cars unveiled their special edition Volvo Ocean Race range of vehicles. Dutchman Gerd Jan Poortman, who sailed on ABN AMRO TWO in the 2005-06 race, was on hand for the unveiling.

The new Volvo Ocean Race Edition includes three models, the Volvo V70, Volvo XC70 and Volvo XC90 in exterior colours of either ocean blue or electric silver.

When Volvo first organised the Volvo Ocean Race in 2001-02, 4,500 special edition vehicles were sold. For the 2005-06 race, sales increased to 8,600 and the company expects to reach 9,000 sales for 2008-09. The cars will be in dealerships in June this year.

Did you know that you can watch hours of race video at www.VolvoOceanRace.tv, the official Race TV channel for free!

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