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North Atlantic Challenge

Team888 New Ocean Racing Team Sets Ambitious Racing Schedule

mardi 6 mai 2003 – Redaction SSS [Source RP]

Organizers of the
DaimlerChrysler North Atlantic Challenge announce the addition of "Team888",
led by co-skippers Mark Denton and Jonny Malbon of the U.K., to the fleet
registered for this June’s historic 3,600 nautical mile offshore race from
Newport, R.I. to Cuxhaven, Germany and on to Hamburg. The team has chartered
Ellen MacArthur’s Open 60 Kingfisher, which will be sailed under the banner
Team888 for the season ahead, and has put together an ambitious calendar for
the inaugural year. Kingfisher was the yacht originally designed and built
for Ellen MacArthur’s Vendée Globe 2000 campaign. In that race she finished
second and gained international acclaim.


Recognized as one of the fastest monohulls afloat, Kingfisher, 60 feet long
and constructed largely of carbon fiber, is the epitome of this new breed of
high technology racing machine.

"We’re absolutely thrilled to have finalized the charter and we can’t wait
to get on the water," said Denton. "There’s some stiff competition in the
DaimlerChrysler North Atlantic Challenge, so it’s heads down from here on
in."

Neither skipper is a stranger to ocean racing or Kingfisher. Mark Denton’s
last campaign was commanding "BP Explorer" to third place in the BT Global
Challenge 2000/1. Jonny Malbon has been an integral part of the Ellen
MacArthur success story since 2001, when he joined the Kingfisher team as
boat captain.

"We can’t wait to take it on," said Malbon. "to be out there racing in this
event, against some formidable opposition, on one of the fastest monohulls
in the world. Even more exciting is the fact that this will be the boat’s
first real foray out of class, which gives us an opportunity to demonstrate
what a weapon this Open 60 really is."

The rest of Team888 is yet to be announced. The Daimler Chrysler North
Atlantic Challenge starts June 14 and 21 from Newport, R.I. Team888 will
start with the second fleet, which includes Robert McNeil‚s MaxZ86 Zephyrus
V.

After the Daimler Chrysler North Atlantic Challenge, Team888 plans to take
part in the Round Britain and Ireland Race - a class race for the Open 60s,
scheduled for July 13. Next will be the Rolex Fastnet Race, to start on
August 10, which will give the team a chance to showcase the boat’s
performance against the extensive fleet put together for this classic.

About the DaimlerChrysler North Atlantic Challenge 2003

The DaimlerChrysler North Atlantic Challenge 2003 is an offshore sailing
race to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Hamburgischer Verein
Seefahrt, a long-standing sailing club based in Hamburg, GER. Over 60 of
the world’s most exotic racing yachts are expected to compete in this
once-in-a-lifetime test of endurance and skill.

The race will start on June
14 and 21, 2003 from Newport, R.I., USA and travel 3,600 nautical miles
across the North Atlantic Ocean, north of the British Isles to Cuxhaven,
GER, and on to Hamburg on the river Elbe. The event organizer will host a
maritime festival from July 4-12 in Hamburg with daily social activities to
coincide with the finish of the race. The race is organized by the
Norddeutscher Regatta Verein, Hamburg with the support of the New York Yacht
Club. Other sponsors include Holsten Brewery, Deutsche Bank, SAP, World of
TUI, Hanseboot International Boat Show from Hamburg, and Marinepool.

For more information about the DaimlerChrysler North Atlantic Challenge, go
to http://www.dcnac.de.

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