The crew the French-Chinese team Dongfeng Race Team was presented in Paris.

Dongfeng Race Team, a Chinese team of the Volvo Ocean Race sponsored by Dongfeng Motor Corporation, today presented its entire crew in Paris to contest this test. There are still 160 days left for the departure in Alicante, on October 22, of the return to the world by world's toughest teams and Dongfeng Race Team has already announced its full crew, composed of twelve regatists, of six different nations that bring together experience and youth.

The French patron Charles Caudrelier will again guide this crew with an enviable palmaris: five victories in the Volvo Ocean Race, five Olympic campaigns and 32 of the Solitaire du Figaro - including five victories in the latter.

Charles Caudrelier will be accompanied by French Pascal Bidegorry, winner of both the Transat Jacques Vabre and Figaro and who returns as a navigator in this Volvo Ocean Race campaign. In the last edition, Pascal Bidegorry was the right hand of Caudrelier and a very important part of the meteology and tactical strategy team.

The multifaceted ocean regatist Kevin Escoffier, another pillar of the last edition, is also back on the team. Escoffier, in addition to a fantastic regatist, is an expert naval builder.

And among those previously announced are New Zealand Stu Bannatyne, who will compete for the eighth time in the race, and Daryl Wislang, who won the last edition with the Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing. There will also be French Jeremie Beyou, who has ended up in the podiode of this year's Vendée Globe. These three experienced regatists will share the duties of head of guard on board the Dongfeng.

The team has two women, French Marie Riou, four-time world champion in Nacra 17 and Dutch Carolijn Brouwer who has already participated twice in the Volvo Ocean Race with female teams.

The Australian / British regatist Jack Boutell, who has participated in three Figaro campaigns, will also participate in the bow functions and help with the rudder.

As in the last edition, the Dongfeng Race Team remains committed to the spread of the ocean sail in China and will include in its crew three young Chinese regatists: Yang Jiru (Wolf), Xue Liu (Black) and Jinhao Chen (Horace), who already participated in the past Volvo Ocean race of 2014- 15.

The team has already been trained for 120 days in water on board its new Volvo Ocean 65 Dongfeng monotypes, and also on board other smaller monotypes.

The crew of the Dongfeng Race Team will participate in the Rolex Sidney-Hobart in December. The next major challenge is the Fastnet Race in early August and then the "Plymouth-Lisbon" for the Volvo Ocean Race teams that will start on August 10. This will be the first time Dongfeng gets mad at his rivals.

In addition to the on-board team, Dongfeng Race Team has brought together an experienced support team that includes: Marcel van Triest, meteorology and routing guru, Fabien Delahaye, who will lead the performance group and work with experts in analysis Olivier Douillard and Cyril Douillet. The team's electronics expert is Ben Swartz.

In addition to the physical demand of the regatists, the Volvo Ocean Race is also one of the greatest logistical challenges in the world of sport. The team has also recruited experts in every field needed for success, and who are also focused on the same objective: to help them navigate as best possible.

The Dongfeng Race Team crew
Charles Caudrelier (FRA), pattern
Pascal Bidegorry (FRA), navigator
Stu Bannatyne (NZL), chief of guards
Jeremie Beyou (FRA), head of guards
Daryl Wislang (NZL), chief of guards
Carolijn Brouwer (NL), trimmer
Jack Bouttell (AUS / GBR), bow
Jinhao Chen 'Horace' (CHI), bow
Kevin Escoffier (FRA), propa
Xue Liu "Black" (CHN), piano
Marie Riou (FRA), trimmer
Yang Jiru "Wolf" (CHN), piano