The 2021-22 edition of the world’s premiere fully-crewed around the
world race will feature two classes of boats, the IMOCA 60 and the VO65
class. Each class has its distinct characteristics, and the inclusion of
both means the race will be more open and inviting to sailors and
designers as well as more engaging to a broad spectrum of fans,
increasing value for stakeholders.
Crews will race boats within their own classes and two trophies will be awarded. Teams will be permitted to enter each class. The IMOCA 60 is a design-driven, foil-assisted monohull on the
cutting edge of technology. Perhaps best known for its use in
short-handed races like the Vendée Globe or Route du Rhum, the class
will be adapted by leading yacht designers to accommodate a full
offshore crew who will be pushed to their limits racing this boat around
the world.
In contrast, the VO65 is a one-design offshore racing boat that was
used in the last two editions of the Volvo Ocean Race. The 2017-18
edition, won by Dongfeng Race Team, was the closest in the 45-year
history of the event, in large part due to the strict one-design racing
which equalised the performance potential of the boats.
“By opening the next race to the IMOCA 60 and the VO65, we intend to
attract the very best sailors, designers and teams in the world to take
up the challenge of competing in the pinnacle fully-crewed around the
world race,” said Johan Salén, co-owner of the event. “The introduction of the IMOCA 60 brings a design and engineering
element to the race that keeps us at the cutting edge of technology and
performance and will be appealing to the most competitive performers in
our sport.
“And we’ve just seen how close and compelling the event can be when
strong teams are racing the one-design VO65. Opening the race to both
classes gives us the best of both worlds.” The VO65 class will have a strong orientation towards youth, building
on the experience of the most recent edition, which featured a talented
crop of sailors taking on the challenge of the race for the first time,
including several Olympic medallists and America’s Cup winners.
“This is where the stars of tomorrow are born,” Salén said. “We want
to encourage teams to give opportunities to younger crew, in order to
bring some of the top talent from smaller boats, for example, into the
offshore world.” Race management is currently working on a preliminary Notice of Race
for the 2021-22 event, which is expected to be published in the autumn,
and will include details on crew numbers and crew diversity incentives
and/or restrictions for each class.
Concurrently, in conjunction with The Sports Consultancy, work is
intensifying to identify exceptional cities for the stopover ports in
the next race. The selection of these Host Cities will define the route
of the 2021-22 race, which is expected to include 8 to 10 stopovers,
while maintaining the Southern Ocean legs of the race.
“Together with the race organisers our experienced host procurement
group is looking forward to taking the next edition of the race to
market and engaging with potential stopover cities around the world who
share our enthusiasm about the exciting evolutions that the next race
will bring,” said Robert Datnow, Managing Director of The Sports
Consultancy. "I expect the bidding process to be hotly contested and
highly competitive”.
The next edition of the race will start from Alicante, Spain in
September/October of 2021, and finish in Europe in May/June of 2022. “Since the most recent edition finished last month we have been
working hard to define the evolution of the race heading into 2021 and
beyond,” said co-owner Richard Brisius.
“Our priority is to stay true to the core values of the event as we
move forward. We want to promote a sustainable race around the world
that will be a relentless and exhilarating competition between teams
comprising the very best sailors, designers and boat builders in
sailing.
“And we will continue to innovate and use the latest technology to
share this story of human endeavour and achievement as widely as
possible in order to inspire the next generation of offshore sailors as
well as all of our fans who follow our event so passionately.”
More information about the next race will be released in the coming
weeks and months, including updates on the Notice of Race and Host City
selection.
The Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18 finished on June 30 with the seven teams
competing in the final In-Port Race in The Hague. Fans enjoyed the
closest finish in race history, with three teams starting the final leg
in a dead heat for the race win.
Charles Caudrelier’s Dongfeng Race Team would become the first
Chinese-flagged team to win the race over Xabi Fernández and his Spanish
MAPFRE crew; their second place result was the best ever for a Spanish
team. Bouwe Bekking’s Team Brunel would complete the podium on his
eighth attempt at the title.
For the first time in race history, female sailors were integrated
into each race crew and Carolijn Brouwer, Marie Roux and Justine
Mettraux became the first women to win the Volvo Ocean Race.
Utilising a strategy of promoting raw content direct from the on
board reporters and sailors on each race boat, the event set new records
for online and social media audience numbers and fan engagement.
As a live event experience, nearly 100,000 corporate guests attended
at least one of the 12 stopover cities, where the Race Villages
attracted over 2.5-million fans.
“Since 1973 this race has been about people taking on the challenge
of racing around the world. This last event was among the best in race
history,” Brisius concluded. “Our job now is to build on that platform
and take the race from strength to strength as a sustainable, premium
world sporting event.”
On May 31, 2018, organisers confirmed the next race will take place
in 2021 under new ownership. The transfer of ownership to Atlant Ocean
Racing Spain is expected to be completed and take full effect as of
October 1, 2018, with Volvo continuing as a sponsor of the race.
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