Business News
MAN Roland Tornado Team Sails to the Olympic Games
Wednesday 07. May 2008 - Polgar and Spalteholz qualify for Beijing 2008
The NRV Olympic team sponsored by MAN Roland has qualified for the 2008 Olympic Games in China. During the international sailing week Semaine Olympique Française, helmsman Johannes Polgar and crewman Florian Spalteholz delivered a thrilling performance along with their competitors, brothers Tino and Nico Mittelmeier. At the finish, Polgar and Spalteholz edged ahead in the French coastal city of Hyères. Now they are checking out Olympic competition in Qingdao, located on the Yellow Sea in China.
With partially heavy winds, the duo gained a seemingly comfortable points advantage during the first two days of the competition. However, unpredictable and partially very flat wind conditions arose, allowing the light-wind-specialists of the Mittelmeier team to come dangerously close. The so-called medal run, which took place on the last day of sailing and was valued at twice the points, was decisive in determining the races outcome.
Test of strength on the Yellow Sea
Despite enormous pressure, Polgar and Spalteholz did not lose their nerve. The race turned into a duel, but the MAN Roland crew was still able to maintain its lead. “That was sailing on the highest level,” is how Polgar described the race. In the end, the team finished two places ahead of its pursuers, thus confirming its position as the best German Tornado crew. “Im very proud of what both of them achieved, and I have a great amount of respect for the strength of their performance and nerves,” says Fritz Torneden, Managing Director of MAN Roland Vertrieb Nord. “This shows that we bet on the right horse with this sailing team partnership. Commitment, motivation, and teamwork pay off, and we want to encourage that.”