Alfa Romeo and Channel Seven have joined forces to win the 2005 Rolex Sydney to Hobart Race with Australia's leading broadcaster backing the super maxi that is tipped as the favourite to win the world's toughest blue water classic yacht race.

"I'm really pleased to be able to welcome Channel Seven onboard 'Alfa Romeo' for the Rolex Sydney to Hobart," says Neville Crichton, skipper and owner of Alfa Romeo. "Like Alfa Romeo, they are strong believers in advanced technology, they understand importance of a strong team and they always play to win. With Channel Seven on board, it also means that viewers will get a front row seat for all the action in the race. It will almost be as if they are standing at the helm alongside me and working with Alfa Romeo's crew!"

Channel Seven's support of 'Alfa Romeo' is much more than just the familiar '7' logo on the sails. The national broadcaster will also be providing a state-of-the-art camera for use on board and pictures will be beamed live from 'Alfa Romeo'. Meanwhile, Seven's ongoing coverage will follow 'Alfa Romeo' as she tracks down the coast with the aim of smashing the race record.

"Its one thing to see a magnificent yacht like Alfa Romeo sailing out of the harbour from a distance and quite another one to be onboard with the crew," says a Channel Seven spokesperson. "Only then can you really see and understand the work and effort that goes into not just sailing a yacht in this unique race, but the effort required to claw back every second towards winning the race and setting a race new record. Our aim is deliver that raw excitement into every home in Australia."

Commenting, Seven's Chief Executive Officer, Broadcast Television, David Leckie said: "We're looking forward to our broadcast of the Sydney-Hobart and we're looking to repeat the success of our first foray into yacht sponsorship last year, when we took line honours. We're pleased to be backing Neville Crichton and his crew on Alfa Romeo. We're in with a great chance and can't wait to see Alfa Romeo unfurl her sails in Sydney Harbour and track down the coast to Hobart."
 

The advanced technology on Alfa Romeo means there will be plenty of action to watch, as the crew work to maximize the canting keel, the twin rudders and the massive sail area in a yacht that is so large it can only slip under the Sydney Harbour Bridge at low tide. "There is going to be some real action for Channel Seven's cameras to capture onboard," explains Neville Crichton. "Alfa Romeo has so much new technology it has changed just about everything we have to do to sail her because 'Alfa Romeo' can do things other yachts can only dream about. And it's not just about speed, either, though there will be plenty of that! The twin rudders means she can maneuver like a much smaller boat and even move through he water unlike any conventional yacht. But this means that, despite all the training we are doing in advance, we'll still be learning about 'Alfa Romeo' as we tackle the Sydney to Hobart and that's got to make exciting television!"

Alfa Romeo, even in training mode, has shown that she has the raw speed to smash the famous race's record, with average speeds of 22 knots the norm and top speeds in excess of 30 knots regularly seen. With the race record sitting on an average of 15 knots, the opportunity to break the record is clearly there. But as every sailor who has tackled the Rolex Sydney to Hobart knows, this is a wildly unpredictable race with a range of conditions simply not seen elsewhere.

"I believe that we have done everything to make achieving line honours and a new race record achievable," says Neville Crichton. "But at the same time I am taking absolutely nothing for granted. The moment you relax with this race, that's when it bites back with vengeance and 'Alfa Romeo' will be fighting all the way until we are standing on the dock in Hobart!"