The participation of two Spanish boats brings the number of confirmed entries in the race to five. The others are Mean Machine (The Netherlands), Ericsson (Sweden) and PUMA (United States). Pedro Campos who headed up the movistar entry in the 2005-06 race, has been tasked with managing the Spanish campaign. Sponsors for the two boats will be announced over the coming weeks.
Commenting on the announcement, Glenn Bourke, the CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race, said: “It’s great news that we will have a major Spanish presence in 2008-09 with Alicante as the start port and two boats flying the flag for Spain out on the race track. The Spanish have a proud historical link with the Whitbread/Volvo and I am delighted that the tradition is being maintained. I’m sure Pedro Campos and his team will put together a very competitive campaign.
