djuice dragons - latest update

by Lizzie Green on 7 Jun 2001 djuice dragons complete qualification race and
Sissel Kyrkjebø announced as godmother of djuice

After 18 days spent crossing the Atlantic, djuice dragons have arrived
safely in La Rochelle, France, completing the official entry requirement
for the Volvo Ocean Race. The boats, djuice 1 and djuice 2 were in good
shape although the team were understandably tired after spending longer at
sea than anticipated.

'I am glad we now have the qualification race behind us and have put in
more miles than any other team with new boats,' says Knut Frostad, sporting
a smile despite the little rest the team has had over the last four weeks.
'It started out well with winds very much in our favour. We left Chesapeake
Bay in record time and then had the thrill of surfing the waves at 25
knots. The breeze died for a day or two and we ended up sitting on a mirror
waiting for it to come around again - which it finally did, but not before
we had experienced some pretty tough upwind conditions in the Bay of Biscay
and stressed the boats and the rigs to the limits for three days in a row.

'The boats performed very well, sustaining a little damage but nothing of
any concern. Laurie Davidson has been very good to us. Bowman Mikael Lundh
hurt his leg when up the mast during a sudden tack but aside from that the
whole team is doing very well. The team on djuice 2 raced us very hard and
to the last mile we have been in full race mode on both boats. I am most
impressed that by next week we will have done three legs of the Volvo Ocean
Race with less than 40 hours in port. That's hard racing for anyone and
good training for us. We are certainly looking forward to the last months
of training and then the race itself.'

Volvo Ocean Race CEO, Helge Alten has watched the qualification race with
interest, considering djuice dragons are the first team to officially
qualify for the race by completing the trans Atlantic. 'I would like to
congratulate djuice dragons on crossing the Atlantic and in so doing
becoming the first team to complete their qualifying passage in order to
participate in the Volvo Ocean Race. The fight between the two boats all
across the Atlantic as well as the numerous lively emails received from the
passage, gave us the taste of what we will see from this team during the
real race round the world'

The boats spent 28 hours in Annapolis before leaving for La Rochelle where
they will now spend only 12 hours, restocking with food and diesel before
sailing to Gothenburg. The boats are in a hurry to make the official
christening of djuice on June 16 where Norwegian singer Sissel Kyrkjebø
will do the honours of christening the race boat. Sissel is one of the most
well respected and recognized artists in Norway.

About Sissel
Sissel has performed with artists such as Placido Domingo and Charles
Aznavour. She is known for her classical soprano voice, but in 1997 she
surprised everyone with recording a single together with the rapper Warren
G. from Los Angeles. The song was called Prince Igor and Sissel's voice was
superbly slotted into modern rhythms, resulting in a major European hit.

Sissel has performed before HRH Prince Charles on two occasions, at galas
that featured other luminaries such as Celine Dion and Sting. Sharing the
stage with Placido Domingo and Charles Aznavour, she has also taken part in
the traditional Christmas concert broadcasted from Vienna and viewed by
millions of Europeans. Moreover, she has performed for HRH Queen Margarethe
of Denmark, singing a duet with the star tenor José Carreras.

The Christening
The christening will take place on June 16 at Aker Brygge in Oslo in a
public event with major Norwegian entertainment. All press and public are
invited to attend the ceremony which will start at 14:00.


About djuice dragons
djuice dragons is the Norwegian team participating in the Volvo Ocean Race
2001-2002. Skippered by Knut Frostad (Intrum Justitia 93-4, Innovation
Kvaerner 97-8), the team is sponsored by djuice, a mobile internet portal,
owned by Telenor Mobile Communications.

Main Sponsor
djuice - mobile internet

Sub Sponsors
Wallenius Wilhelmsen Lines - international shipping
SAS - Scandinavian Airline Systems
NutriPharma - developer of functional and nutritional foods
Nera Telecommunications - satellite communications

Strategic Partners
TV2 Norway - strategic media partner
DNV - Det Norske Veritas AS Software - strategic risk management partner
Wiersholm Mellbye & Bech - strategic partner legal services
JBR McCann/Scandinavian Design Group - strategic advertising & design
partners
Develo AS - strategic human relations partner
Foyen Management Services/Business Navigation - strategic partner financial
control

Official Suppliers
Helly Hansen - official clothing supplier
Simrad - official marine electronics supplier
Volvo Cars Norway AS - official supplier
Ericsson Norway AS - official GSM solution supplier
WM Data - official computer solutions supplier
Finn Solvang AS - official signage supplier
Viking - official footwear supplier

Suppliers
Nautisk Forlag -navigational equipment supplier
Storm Weather Centre - meteorological information supplier
Burson-Marstellar - supplier of PR and crisis management services
Roblon by Teufelberger - supplier of running rigging
Burson-Marsteller - supplier of PR and crisis management services
Jotron - supplier of electronic safety devices
Relekta - supplier of workshop consumables
Sandefjord Blad - local media partner
Norske Legesenter - supplier of medical services



For further information on Djuice Dragons, please contact:
Emma Sutcliffe, Press Officer
emma@djuicedragons.com
Phone: +47 2294 1100

Harald Hjort
Project Director
harald@djuicedragons.com
Phone: +47 9092 6062

About Djuice Dragons
The Djuice Dragons is a Norwegian-based team, competing in the Volvo Ocean
Race 2001-2002. Skippered by Knut Frostad, the team is sponsored by mobile
internet company djuice, NERA, NutriPharma, Wallenius Wilhelmsen and
Scandinavian Airlines.

For further information on the Volvo Ocean Race please contact:

Lizzie Green, Race Press Officer
Direct Line: +44 1489 554 832
Mobile: +44 7801 185 320
Email: Lizzie.Green@volvo.com

Andreas Hanakamp, Press Officer UK
Direct Line: +44 1489 554 833
Mobile: +44 7787 562 404
Email: andreas.hanakamp@consultant.volvo.com


Volvo Ocean Race Office:
Switchboard: +44 1489 564 555
Fax: +44 1489 564 333
Website: www.VolvoOceanRace.org

IMAGES
Royalty-free images from the preparations of the Volvo Ocean Race are
available from our picture desk:

Patrick Anderson
Email: patrick@vsnl.com
Tel: +44 1489 564 555
Fax: +44 1489 564 333

For broadcast enquiries please contact:
Jim Raven, Granada Sport
Tel: +44 2380 222555
Email: ravenhj@meridiantv.com

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