New sponsor for Mike Golding

Technology leader in the wind industry come on board to back Britain's leading solo sailor

Gamesa, a global wind power technology leader and a world reference in the development and sale of wind farms, and Mike Golding, OBE, have today announced their intention to be on the start line of the 2012 Vendee Globe in Les Sables d’Olonne, France, on 10 November 2012 with the IMOCA Open 60 Gamesa. The race emerges as this new partnership’s most important challenge, Gamesa having revealed its sponsorship of the Gamesa Sailing Team, led by Mike Golding, to 135 of its top global executives at their annual convention in Windsor, England.

Golding and his team have a very exciting and busy 18 months ahead, with their first race being the two-handed Transat Jacques Vabre from France to Costa Rica this October followed by the fully crewed Europa Race around Europe in May 2012.

Golding commented: “This is obviously fantastic for us to be able to formally announce our partnership with Gamesa. With Gamesa’s support and our existing infrastructure we are now certain to be able to mount a very competitive campaign for the 2012 Vendée Globe – which is simply wonderful news. Having enjoyed enormous success in the sport of sailing, the Vendee Globe remains ‘the event’ I would most love to win.
 
“Furthermore, having spent the past decade championing environmental products and issues, it is really exiting that Gamesa’s core business is in renewable energy – an area increasingly critical to performance in competitive round the world yacht racing.”

Jorge Calvet, Chairman and Chief Executive of Gamesa added: “This sponsorship comes at an important time for Gamesa and our planned programme of expansion into the offshore market in UK. The sea and the wind are similarly part of the Gamesa challenge and there are synergies between Mike’s Vendée Globe campaign and our own activities in the wind power market in the UK and globally. We have a vigorous business plan over the coming years with many common values, including innovation, teamwork, leadership and passion for our customers, and we look forward to working with Mike and his team to achieve both our goals and his,” he concluded.

Gamesa is ready to play a significant role in the offshore market. The company is working to launch two offshore platforms (the G11X-5.0 MW and G14X-6/7 MW) and it has also announced that the UK will be the centre of its offshore wind business. It plans to invest over €150 million there by 2014. It will establish an offshore technology centre in Glasgow and will analyse the development of manufacturing, port logistics and O&M capabilities in several UK ports (England and Scotland). Gamesa's offshore business will be headquartered in London.

Golding's Owen Clarke-designed Open 60 is currently undergoing major optimisation work at Green Marine in the UK, with a view to being on the water and sailing again later this summer.