Volvo Buses

UNITED KINGDOM & IRELAND

Volvo 9700 and Volvo Ocean Race – a double celebration

A Volvo 9700 – the reigning International Coach of the Year sporting a special Volvo Ocean Race livery – provides a double celebration at this year’s Euro Bus Expo show.

The Volvo 9700 was named International Coach of the Year 2008 by a jury of industry journalists, from 17 leading European bus and coach industry publications. Its new design, unique safety features and smooth driveline, caught the eye of the judges and was felt to offer the best all-round package for passengers, drivers and operators too.

An example of this award winning coach is a central feature at this year’s EBE08 show at the NEC Birmingham, exhibited in a special livery designed to celebrate the Volvo Ocean Race which is currently circumnavigating the globe.

Dubbed “the Everest of Sailing” the Volvo Ocean Race which began in Alicante in Spain on 4 October will see seven teams sailing sail the 37,000 nautical miles around the globe in nine months, finishing up in St Petersburg in Russia in June 2009. The race takes in some the world’s most treacherous seas via Cape Town, Kochi, Singapore, Qingdao, around Cape Horn to Rio de Janeiro, Boston, Galway, Goteborg and Stockholm.

The race is the ultimate mix of world class sporting competition and on the edge adventure, a unique blend of onshore glamour with offshore drama and endurance. Each of the seven entries has a sailing team of 11 professional crew, and the race requires their utmost skills, physical endurance and competitive spirit as they race day and night for more than 30 days at a time on some of the legs.

During the race the crews will experience life at the extreme: no fresh food is taken onboard so they live off freeze dried fare, they will experience temperature variations from -5 to +40 degrees Celsius and will only take one change of clothes. They will trust their lives to the boat and the skipper and experience hunger and sleep deprivation.

Speaking at the show, Volvo Bus Managing Director for UK and Ireland Steve Dewhurst said, “This stunning Volvo 9700 exhibit is a great way of celebrating the important International Coach of the Year accolade, as well as showcasing the Volvo Group’s global sponsorship of what is undeniably the world’s premier global race, and one of the most demanding team sporting events in the world.”

ENDS

4 November 2008

Photographs: A selection of images to accompany this and other show press releases is available for download at the media centre section of www.whenproductivitycounts.com