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(28 August
2006, Valencia) They both have previous experience of the America’s Cup.
Additionally, they won the most recent round-the-world Volvo Ocean Race with
ABN AMRO ONE.
The New
Zealanders, David Endean, 27, and Tony Mutter, 37, are two of Victory
Challenge’s new sailors as the team begin their two-boat training.
“They
both have a lot of experience, both from the America’s Cup and a number of
round-the-world races, where winning the last Volvo Ocean Race is a real
triumph. Also, they both have important specialist skills for our continuing
development work, David as boat builder and Tony as sailmaker,” says Magnus
Holmberg, skipper and helmsman.
David
Endean was the youngest sailor on board ABN AMRO ONE, which won the Volvo
Ocean Race in convincing fashion. It doesn’t mean that he lacks experience.
That was his second round-the-world race. He sailed with Team TYCO during
the 2001-2002 Volvo Ocean Race. He was also part of the American One World
Challenge during the America’s Cup in Auckland, 2002-2003. David Endean’s
position in Victory Challenge: pitman
Tony
Mutter did his third round-the-world race when he won with ABN AMRO ONE. He
sailed with Swedish Match in the predecessor to the Volvo Ocean Race, the
Whitbread Round the World Race, in 1997-1998 and with SEB in 2000-2001. He
was a member of the American America’s Cup team Abracadabra, during the
America’s Cup in Auckland, 1999-2000. Tony Mutter was New Zealand champion
in OK Dinghy in 1989, 1991 and 2000. He has known Victory Challenge since
Auckland. He stepped in as trimmer in 2002 when Lars Linger was injured and
it is as trimmer that he has now joined.
Therefore there are now five ABN AMRO sailors with Victory Challenge. The
other three are Simon Fisher, Andrew Lewis and Luke Molloy, who all sailed
with ABN AMRO TWO.
They
are all part of the recruitment of new sailors ahead of the two-boat
training that will soon begin. With that the next phase begins for the team,
ahead of next year’s final pre-regattas of the 32nd America’s Cup and the
challengers’ series itself, the Louis Vuitton Cup. It is then that it will
finally be decided which of the eleven challengers will meet the defender,
Alinghi, in the America’s Cup final.
Valencia Louis Vuitton Act 13 takes place between 3 and 7 April, the Louis
Vuitton Cup between 16 April and 12 June. The America’s Cup Match begins on
23 June.
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