Team Telefónica awarded trophy as winners of the second leg

 

 

Team Telefónica have hit the Volvo Ocean Race headlines again. After a win in the first leg, the Spanish team have made history yet again by also winning the second leg in the regatta, between Cape Town (South Africa) and Abu Dhabi (UAE). The leg, some 5,400 nautical miles in length, had to be split into two stages to avoid the high risk areas for piracy near to the coastline of the Horn of Africa, one of the world's most dangerous stretches of the ocean in recent times.

 

Team Telefónica, which has three Barcelona World Race skippers on board: Iker Martínez, Xabi Fernández and Pepe Ribes, has a solid lead in the overall rankings and is one of the firm favourites to take the overall regatta victory.

 

On Wednesday last week, Iker Martínez  and the rest of the crew were handed over the winners' trophy for the second leg of the regatta by Vice President of Sponsorships and Events for Volvo Group, Mats Nilsson.

 

Iker Martínez, deeply immersed in preparations for the in-port race and leg start said: "Of course it's always nice to step up to receive a winners' trophy. The only thing is that we've got the next challenge: the in-port and start much more nearby than before and this comes when we are focussed on the in-port, in two days and the start in three. In any case, when things go well for you, it's always nice to look back and take a moment to remember it. It's always a pleasure."