All through the race they have gone at each other and given no quarter. So intense has the rivalry between Dongfeng Race Team and Azzam been that it has become the race within the race.
On Thursday, it was the turn of the Chinese team to celebrate, arriving early morning, UAE time, in Newport, Rhode Island to win the sixth leg of the Volvo Ocean Race (VOR). Three minutes and 25 seconds behind them, however, was Azzam. Just over 200 seconds, that is, separating two teams after 5,010 miles, the 11th-closest finish in the history of the race.
There is a wider gap between the two in the overall race, Dongfeng's win cutting Azzam's lead to six points. But with three legs remaining, the race is still Abu Dhabi's to lose. Dongfeng are certain to push them all the way, because that is what they have done until now; the pair have two leg wins each so far in the race.
The two put on a relentless duel over the final 24 hours, Azzam cutting the lead Dongfeng established on Saturday morning to a few hundred metres.
"We were within a couple of lengths of getting over them at Block Island - literally three or four boat lengths from rolling them - but they held on and dug deep," said Azzam skipper Ian Walker. "Very well-deserved win."
Only 12 minutes separated the two boats in the first leg from Alicante to Cape Town, Azzam edging away after an enervating last-day battle. Dongfeng finished the next two legs ahead by two and three hours respectively, winning the third leg from Abu Dhabi to Sanya.
Azzam sailed into Auckland next, in second place, less than four minutes ahead of Dongfeng. Only in the toughest leg of the race, from Auckland to Itajai, was there distance between them – and that because Dongfeng could not finish the leg after breaking their mast.
Otherwise, wherever each boat has gone, the other has been right behind, as close as a shadow and infinitely more threatening.
In different ways this leg bore testament to the same attribute in both boats: resilience. Dongfeng almost did not make it to the start, only a superhuman rush to replace their mast before the leg began allowing them to participate.
Then, two days into the leg their electronic water-maker, which converts sea water into drinking water, broke down. Had it not been repaired by the crew, it would have entailed at least a 12-hour stop, which would effectively have killed off their chances in the leg.
“For this leg, the goal was to be ready in Itajai and the (shore) crew did a fantastic job,” said Dongfeng skipper Charles Caudrelier. “I’d like to give them the victory. I’m very proud of them and very happy to take this first place. They worked very hard to get this boat ready. I’m really, really happy.”
Azzam, meanwhile, made a tactical error early in the leg, getting on the wrong side of an Atlantic cloud line. That saw them slip to last place and preparing to finish well behind the leaders.
But a remarkable surge over the last week saw them claw their way back, briefly taking the lead over the weekend. It was not a tight enough grip but their comeback was enough to please Walker.
“I think we sailed better in this leg than any other one in the race so far.”
osamiuddin@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
THREE
Director: Nayla Al Khaja
Starring: Jefferson Hall, Faten Ahmed, Noura Alabed, Saud Alzarooni
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs: 2018 Audi R8 V10 RWS
Price: base / as tested: From Dh632,225
Engine: 5.2-litre V10
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 540hp @ 8,250rpm
Torque: 540Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.4L / 100km
MWTC info
Tickets to the MWTC range from Dh100 and can be purchased from www.ticketmaster.ae or by calling 800 86 823 from within the UAE or +971 4 366 2289 from outside the country and all Virgin Megastores. Fans looking to attend all three days of the MWTC can avail of a special 20 percent discount on ticket prices.
Kill
Director: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat
Starring: Lakshya, Tanya Maniktala, Ashish Vidyarthi, Harsh Chhaya, Raghav Juyal
Rating: 4.5/5
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
RESULTS
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ) by decision.
Women’s bantamweight
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) beat Cornelia Holm (SWE) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (PAL) beat Vitalii Stoian (UKR) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) beat Ali Dyusenov (UZB) by unanimous decision.
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) beat Delfin Nawen (PHI) TKO round-3.
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) beat Emad Hanbali (SYR) KO round 1.
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Ramadan Noaman (EGY) TKO round 2.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) beat Reydon Romero (PHI) submission 1.
Welterweight
Juho Valamaa (FIN) beat Ahmed Labban (LEB) by unanimous decision.
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) beat Austin Arnett (USA) by unanimous decision.
Super heavyweight
Maciej Sosnowski (POL) beat Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) by submission round 1.
The Gandhi Murder
- 71 - Years since the death of MK Gandhi, also christened India's Father of the Nation
- 34 - Nationalities featured in the film The Gandhi Murder
- 7 - million dollars, the film's budget
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Carzaty, now Kavak
Based: Dubai
Launch year: Carzaty launched in 2018, Kavak in the GCC launched in 2022
Number of employees: 140
Sector: Automotive
Funding: Carzaty raised $6m in equity and $4m in debt; Kavak plans $130m investment in the GCC
Cricket World Cup League Two
Teams
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Namibia beat Oman by 52 runs
UAE beat Namibia by eight wickets
Fixtures
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Oman
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
The nine articles of the 50-Year Charter
1. Dubai silk road
2. A geo-economic map for Dubai
3. First virtual commercial city
4. A central education file for every citizen
5. A doctor to every citizen
6. Free economic and creative zones in universities
7. Self-sufficiency in Dubai homes
8. Co-operative companies in various sectors
9: Annual growth in philanthropy
Company Profile
Name: HyveGeo
Started: 2023
Founders: Abdulaziz bin Redha, Dr Samsurin Welch, Eva Morales and Dr Harjit Singh
Based: Cambridge and Dubai
Number of employees: 8
Industry: Sustainability & Environment
Funding: $200,000 plus undisclosed grant
Investors: Venture capital and government
The biog
Mission to Seafarers is one of the largest port-based welfare operators in the world.
It provided services to around 200 ports across 50 countries.
They also provide port chaplains to help them deliver professional welfare services.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets