GAMESA TO SPONSOR AND PARTNER WITH MIKE
GOLDING’S OFFSHORE SOLO PROGRAMME
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The global technology leader in the wind industry to become Title Partner of the
Gamesa Sailing Team, led by Mike Golding
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Mike Golding, one of the UK’s most accomplished offshore sailors, has
announced his intention to compete for the ultimate accolade in solo sailing: the
2012 Vendée Globe - the non-stop solo around the world race, emerging as the
primary challenge to be taken on by this new sailing partnership
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The sea and the wind are similarly part of the Gamesa challenge. Gamesa is
ready to play a significant role in the offshore market in UK: it is working to
launch two offshore platforms and plans to invest over €150 million in this
activity by 2014
London, 29 July, 2011. 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.
Billed as ‘the Everest of yacht racing’, this will be the fourth start for the Hampshire, UK, based
skipper; something he himself describes as ‘unfinished business’.
“This sponsorship comes at an important time for Gamesa and our planned programme of
expansion into the offshore market in UK,” Jorge Calvet, Chairman and Chief Executive of
Gamesa announced. “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.
Mike Golding is one of the world’s most accomplished solo ocean sailors. With over 250,000
racing miles and some 25 equator crossings, he has competed in three previous Vendée Globes,
held three world championship titles and created a reputation for being “King of the South”,
setting the fastest speed record in the Southern Ocean.
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.”
Mike Golding’s Owen Clark-designed Open 60 is currently undergoing some major optimisation
work in the UK, with a view to being on the water again later this summer. The first major
event for the team will be the double-handed Transat Jacques Vabre from France to Costa Rica
in October 2011.
During May 2012 the Gamesa IMOCA 60 will race fully crewed in the Europa Race (a tour of
Europe) before the team makes final preparations for the non-stop solo around the world race,
the Vendée Globe.
About Gamesa (www.gamesacorp.com)
With more than 15 years’ experience, Gamesa is a world leader in the design, manufacture,
installation and maintenance of wind turbines, with around 21,000 MW installed in 30 countries
on four continents and over 13,600 MW under maintenance.
The company has 30 production facilities in Europe, the US, China and India and over 7,200
employees worldwide.
Gamesa is also a world leader in the development, construction and sale of wind farms, having
installed over 4,100 MW and having a portfolio of more than 22,600 MW in Europe, America
and Asia.
The annual equivalent of the 21,000 MW installed amounts to more than 5 million tons of
petroleum (TEP) per year and prevents the emission into the atmosphere of about 31 million
tonner of CO2 per year.
In 2010, Gamesa's consolidated revenues amounted to more than 2,764 million euro and the
net profit was 50 million euro. International markets accounted for almost 93% of whole sales.
Gamesa is listed on the Ibex 35 and forms part of Dow Jones Sustainability, FTSE4Good and
Ethibel sustainability indexes.
Mike Golding (www. mikegolding.com)
Mike Golding is one of Britain’s most accomplished and successful offshore sailors. A former
career firefighter Mike turned professional sailing following a second place skippering “Group 4”
in the British Steel Challenge in 1992/93. This success was followed immediately by a record
breaking west about circumnavigation with the same 67ft challenge yacht Group 4 only this
time solo.
On a route following Sir Chay Blyth’s pioneering circumnavigation Mike became only the second
person to complete this “impossible voyage” whilst at the same time setting a benchmark world
record time which remained his for seven years. A dominating victory in the following BT Global
Challenge in 96/7 led Mike, his team towards the radical IMOCA 60 class, where over the course
of the past fifteen years he has consistently occupied either winning or podium positions
including winning two IMOCA World Championships and a FICO World Championship title.
In 2009 Mike Golding entered the radically different Extreme 40 Catamaran Sailing Series,
inshore races, crewed and with two hulls instead of one this was a very different challenge.
After a competitively tough first season, Mike returned with all British team and finished the
2010 season on the podium.
Mike Golding was awarded the OBE for his services to sport (sailing) in 2007.