Dongfeng Race Team edged out MAPFRE in the Rolex Fastnet – the second stage of Leg Zero qualifying for the Volvo Ocean Race – after a hard fought battle all the way to the finish line, with less than a minute separating the pair after over 600 miles raced.
MAPFRE and Dongfeng Racing had the best start back in Cowes on Sunday, stayed close all the way around the 605-mile race course and have now finished just metres from each other after fighting each other all the way to finish line off the Plymouth breakwater.
Dongfeng crossed the line at 04:18:10 local time, with MAPFRE following shortly afterwards at 04:19:06. After becoming famous for cliff-hanger finishes in the last Volvo Ocean Race, the most tightly controlled One Design fleet in the world promises more close racing with only 74 days before the start of the race in Alicante on 22 October.
Dongfeng leveraged their experience on how to set up the boat from the last race, and their crew’s experience in local waters, to win the race with both boat speed and superior tactics.
Critical moments in their victory were when they regained the lead from team AkzoNobel before the Fastnet rounding with superior boat speed and later, perfect navigation on the return from the Rock that saw them split from the fleet on the downwind run and pass through the obstacles around the Scilly Isles with fewer manoeuvres.
