Walker fuelled by ‘injustice’ at Ocean Race

NEW PORT, Rhode Island: Ian Walker believes his Abu Dhabi team are on course for a victory in the Volvo Ocean Race that would settle a sense of “injustice” from the last round-the-world epic.
The Walker-skippered Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing have a six point lead over Frenchman Charles Caudrelier’s Dongfeng Race Team going into the final three legs of the nine month battle.
Hiking up the pressure the Chinese-backed vessel won the latest duel into Newport, Rhode Island to narrow the lead. Walker, a two-time Olympic silver medallist, is hoping however that the disasters of 2011-2012 can be avoided.
In that race, the Abu Dhabi boat broke a mast during the opening leg and later suffered hull damage, which forced it to retire from the crucial race from Auckland to Itajai, in Brazil. The team eventually limped home fifth.
But Walker denied he was seeking “revenge.”
“The word is too strong. I always felt a sense of injustice in the previous race. I knew we were sailing well. I knew we had a good team and I knew that we deserved better.
“But it’s like a Formula One race. If you haven’t got the car, never mind how good the driver is. We had the potential to win but we never had the opportunity to demonstrate it.”
This time Abu Dhabi Racing are in control and Walker says they only have to finish in the top three in each leg to claim the coveted title. He is taking nothing for granted however.
Walker was to gather the eight man crew together on Tuesday to discuss tactics before they leave on May 17 for the Newport-Lisbon leg.
The Briton said that changing the race so everyone has the same boat design has had a dramatic impact on the competition.
After Lisbon there are two legs to France and Gothenburg, Sweden where the event ends about June 27 after a 38,739 nautical mile race taking in 11 ports on every continent.