Volvo Ocean Race - Walker has a target on his back- video interview
by Rob Kothe Sail-World.com on 4 Jun 2015
Onboard Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing - Ian Walker stares through the hatch during a tactical debate about the wind down towards the finish in Lisbon - Leg 7 to Lisbon - Volvo Ocean Race Matt Knighton/Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing
Volvo Ocean Race - Abu Dhabi Ocean Race skipper Ian Walker has a target on his back going into the eighth leg of the Volvo Ocean Race on Sunday.
Three days before the end of the Newport to Lisbon leg Walker and Co, the overall race leaders were faced with the possibility that their closest rival Charles Caudrelier’s Dongfeng could win leg and Abu Dhabi finish fifth. Instead Dongfeng stumbled and fell back to fourth place.
Walker and co. could hardly hide their relief as they came ashore in Lisbon in fifth placed.
Now with a refreshed Team Vestas Wind back in the race and with Team SCA having shown good form, a bad result from the Emirati team in the Lisbon to Lorient leg could make the last leg into Gothenburg the deciding leg of the 2014-2015 race. With this leg likely to be a series of hard tacking duels, it’s unlikely that many of the other teams will resist the chance to tack in front of the overall race leaders.
But in spite of that there are another six skippers who would happily swap points with the race leaders. Sail-World interviewed Walker again today as he looked forward to the next Volvo Ocean Race.
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