Düsseldorf Boat Show - Land Rover Above and Beyond Award

Land Rover Above and Beyond Award - Extreme Sailing Series 2015 Jaguar Land Rover Limited

Land Rover Global Brand Ambassador, Hannah White (left) with Double Olympic Gold Medallist Sarah Ayton (centre) receiving the inaugural Above and Beyond Award from Christian Bangemann, PR Director Jaguar Land Rover Europe (right) at Boot Düsseldorf. - Extreme Sailing Series 2015 © Jaguar Land Rover Limited

The Award was presented by Land Rover Global Brand Ambassador and Chairman of the Above and Beyond Committee, Hannah White, who commented: 'As a syndicate of two teams, Oman Sail’s commitment to the event, the sport of sailing and their performance throughout the entire season, both on and off the water, was unprecedented. They set a fine example to the world of sport for their professionalism, performance and camaraderie.'

Mark Cameron, Jaguar Land Rover Global Brand Experience Director commented: 'Oman Sail are worthy winners of the inaugural Land Rover Above and Beyond Award. They demonstrated throughout the series what it truly means to go Above and Beyond. Racing in the Extreme Sailing Series™ is incredibly fast and watching some of the best sailors in the world battling it out in such challenging environments make’s for a fantastic spectacle. The boats are powerful and tough, just like our vehicles and must perform whatever the conditions. We look forward to watching the inevitable high octane thrills and spills of the 2015 Series with great anticipation.'

As the Extreme Sailing Series gears up for the 2015 circuit it will be returning to many familiar cities, Land Rover is very excited that the series will be returning to Germany, an important market commercially, but also a nation of sailing lovers. Hamburg will host Act 5 in July.

The commercial and competitive appeal of the original stadium sailing circuit shows no sign of abating: 'The Series is now firmly established in the arena of world class professional sailing, and we have built that reputation by continually attracting some of the very best sailors in the world, supported by global brands, in iconic and attractive venues – competing annually and on a global scale,' commented Mark Turner, Executive Chairman of OC Sport, the organisation behind the Series. 'And whilst the event has never changed its core DNA – racing in a stadium environment where exciting sailing is brought right to the audience – there remains a great deal to do. We must continue to innovate, to break new ground, change people’s perceptions of our sport, find new ways to share it and engage with new audiences around the world. That’s our ongoing challenge.'

The venues and team line-up for the 2015 Extreme Sailing Series are as follows:

Extreme Sailing Series ™ 2015 Host Venues:
Act 1: Singapore, 5-8 February
Act 2: Muscat, Oman 11-14 March
Act 3: Qingdao, China 1-4 May
Act 4: Cardiff, UK 18-21 June
Act 5: Hamburg, Germany 23-26 July
Act 6: Saint Petersburg, Russia 20-23 August
Act 7: Istanbul, Turkey 1-4 October
Act 8: Australia 10-13 December

The 2015 Extreme Sailing Series™ Line-Up (from left to right) Stevie Morrison, Skipper, Oman Air; Ian Williams, Co-Skipper, GAC Pindar; Edhem Dirvana, Skipper TeamTurx; Alberto Barovier, Team Manager, Gazprom Team Russia; Sarah Ayton, Tactician, The Wave, Muscat, Roman Hagara, Skipper, Red Bull Sailing Team; Rasmus Kostner, Co-Skipper, SAP Extreme Sailing Team; Giorgio Martin, Team Manager, Lino Sonego Team Italia. © Jaguar Land Rover Limited

Extreme Sailing Series™ 2015 Teams and skippers
Team / Skipper
GACPindar (AUS/GBR) – Seve Jarvin (AUS) / Ian Williams (GBR)
Gazprom Team Russia (RUS) - Igor Lisovenko (RUS)
Lino Sonego Team Italia (ITA)- Lorenzo Bressani (ITA)
Oman Air (OMA) – Stevie Morrison (GBR)
Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) – Roman Hagara (AUT)
SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) – Jes Gram-Hansen (DEN) / Rasmus Kostner (DEN)
TeamTurx (TUR) - Edhem Dirvana (TUR)
The Wave, Muscat (OMA) – Leigh McMillan (GBR)