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Neal
McDonald is a veteran of four round-the-world races,
finishing second as skipper in his last race, and has
competed in both the America's Cup and the Admiral's
Cup. McDonald has the experience and talent to skipper
any boat competitively. He also has an engineering
background.
Steve
Hayles, also a veteran of the Volvo Ocean Race, will
join McDonald on the Ericsson Racing Team. Hayles has
participated in the Volvo Ocean Race three times and was
a navigator in the 2001-02 race.
Dave
Powys is taking on the important shore manager position.
Powys has vast experience in boat management and sailed
in the Whitbread Round the World Race maxi yachts
Rothmans and Fortuna. Powys also took part in the
America's Cup with Victory, Kookaburra and the Blue
Arrow teams.
The
world's leading telecommunications supplier, announced
its entry in the race on April 25. The Ericsson Racing
Team is supported by Semcon as design and development
partner.
"Ericsson's
core values are professionalism, respect and
perseverance; three qualities that are at the heart of a
successful ocean racing team and qualities that I know
lie at the heart of what Neal has delivered both as
skipper and crew member throughout his career,"
said Dusyant Patel, Operating Officer of Ericsson Racing
Team. "Neal and Steve give our challenge great
strength and the prospect of being a real contender in
the race."
Neal
McDonald said, "It is great to be able to announce
that I am skipper of the Ericsson Racing Team. The team
is shaping up very well, both in terms of the people we
are bringing on board, and the boat itself. I am really
looking forward to getting out on the water and getting
down to training with the team."
Richard
Brisius, project manager and co-founder of Atlant Ocean
Racing said, "Our team is strengthened even further
with the addition of Neal and Steve. From design and
construction to partners and crew we have been able to
build a world-class team. Neal and Steve were both our
first choices from the small exclusive group of
potential skippers and navigators."
Neal
McDonald - Skipper
Ericsson
will, together with Semcon as design and development
partner, form the "Ericsson Racing Team". The
campaign will be supported by Atlant Ocean Racing, which
has a proven track record of success in the Volvo Ocean
Race. The team's yacht is currently under construction
at the world-renowned British shipwrights Green Marine
in Lymington, UK, under the supervision of Jason
Carrington. The launch is planned to June 2005.
"With
Ericsson we have a truly successful formula," said
Richard Brisius, project leader and founder of Atlant
Ocean Racing. "They bring experience an
understanding of how to drive complex projects with
operational excellence in all aspects and we will have a
crew and shore team who are all experts in their field.
We have no doubt that the Ericsson Racing Team will be a
real contender in this year's race."
Ericsson
is committed to realising its vision of an
all-communicating world. The Volvo Ocean Race allows
Ericsson to bring this commitment to life and this team,
more than any other, will use technology to take the
experience of the race to the global audience.
The
Volvo Ocean Race gives Ericsson an unrivalled
opportunity to reach its customers around the world, as
well as showcasing how its solutions can help them
develop relationships with enterprises and consumers
Steve
Hayes - Navigator
"The
Volvo Ocean Race gives us a strong platform to grow our
business," said Bert Nordberg, Executive Vice
President, Sales and Marketing, Ericsson. "It is an
opportunity to reach a global audience and demonstrate
our expertise and ability to deliver telecommunications
solutions to our customers.
"This
race is about speed, complex technology, fierce
competition and extreme conditions. This mirrors the
complexity of our global business. Our core values at
Ericsson are professionalism, respect and perseverance,
three qualities at the heart of a successful ocean
racing team," Nordberg concluded.
"These
are the most extreme mono hulls to ever race around the
world," said Hans Johansson, CEO of Semcon.
"We are proud and happy that Ericsson will use our
knowledge to create a winning yacht."
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