Ericsson Racing Team announces new crew

by Mats Olsson on 14 Nov 2007 After Torben Grael stepped onboard last month as the skipper of Ericsson’s international crew for the next Volvo Ocean Race, the team now announces Brazilians Joใo Signorini and Horacio Carabelli as new crewmembers.

The 2008-2009 race will be the second time around for Signorini and Carabelli. The sailors finished third place in the latest edition of the race under Torben Grael’s command. Joใo Signorini, in Brazil known as Joca, spent most part of his career competing in the Laser class before moving to Finn in 2002. Only a few months later he was qualified to the Athens Olympics and ended up in the 10th place at the Games. A doctor’s son, Signorini was also the medic onboard Brazil 1 during the last race.

'It is an honor to join the Ericsson Racing Team for the next Volvo Ocean Race. I have had a chance to see the great structure they put together for the race and I look forward to facing this new challenge. It is great to have another chance of racing with Torben', said the 30-year old sailor.

Born in Uruguay, Horacio Carabelli has been living in Brazil for more than 20 years now. The naval constructor was the technical director of the Brazilian project boat for the last Volvo Ocean Race and earned his spot in the crew due to his solid sailing background. Carabelli is two-time Snipe world junior champion, competed in Seoul Olympic Games in 1988 and last year added an America’s Cup campaign to his career.

'I am very happy to be a part of such a strong team. I would not go for another shot at this competition in any other way. I want to collaborate as much as I can and help the team achieving its goal', said Carabelli.

Announced as the skipper of the international boat last month, Torben celebrates the arrival of two countrymen onboard.

'It is a great joy to welcome two great sailors like Joca and Horacio on the team. They are both extremely talented and my good friends. We worked together in the last race and I am sure they will do a good job again. I believe they will fit very well with the strong team already in place', commented Torben.

The Ericsson Racing Team is currently based at their training base in Puerto Calero, Lanzarote, Spain. The team will participate with two boats in the next Volvo Ocean Race. One will have an international crew and the other will be all Nordic. The two crews will compete on an equal basis. Both boats are being built by Killian Bushe next to Ericsson's headquarters in Kista, Stockholm. Two competitive crews will allow Ericsson Racing Team to train efficiently before the start of Volvo Ocean Race in Alicante, Spain, in October, 2008.

Ericsson's participation in the Volvo Ocean Race is a platform for driving sales. The race gives the company an unrivalled opportunity to reach customers around the world, spend quality time discussing joint opportunities and challenges, as well as showcasing how Ericsson's solutions can help them develop relationships with enterprises and consumers.

With the new race course taking the fleet to stops in the Middle East, India and China, Ericsson will be able to reach further into these important growth regions.

www.ericssonracingteam.com