Groupama sailing team celebrated their first offshore leg win of the Volvo Ocean Race with big crowds at the Auckland Race Village at the Leg 4 prize-giving ceremony.
Skipper Franck Cammas and his men were crowned winners of the leg in front of hundreds of fans who crammed into the main stage area at Viaduct Harbour.
“It’s very hard to beat Telefónica but we’re very happy to have done it for sure,” Cammas said as he was presented the winner’s trophy by Joachim Rosenberg, Executive Vice President of Volvo Group.
“We’re also very happy to have had the first Kiwi into New Zealand on board our boat – Brad Marsh.”
Marsh, who’s mother was in the crowd to watch him pick up the award, added: “There’s a lot of people here but I can only see one person jumping up and down -- my mother! The turn-out in Auckland has been in amazing and everyone’s looking forward to seeing the crowd out there for the In-Port Race and the leg start.”
The PUMA Ocean Racing team also stepped onto the red carpet to celebrate their second-placed finish, their best offshore result to date.
Their trophy was presented by Jan Gurander, Chief Financial Officer of Volvo Car Corporation.
Edwin de Vries, IWC Schaffhausen Brand Manager for Australia and New Zealand, awarded Team Telefónica skipper Iker Martínez and his crew their prize for finishing third.
