Image credit: Lloyd Images
Mark Turner: the godfather of grandstand sailing.
Few people can compete with OC Sport Executive Chairman Mark Turner's track record in professional sailing. Under his leadership the company has pioneered grandstand sailing through the Extreme Sailing Series and now also runs major running, cycling and biathlon events. After a six year Royal Navy career Turner started his first company, Winning Winches before moving on to work as marketing director at Spinlock. In 1998 he founded Offshore Challenges - the company responsible for the management of Dame Ellen MacArthur’s successful Vendée Globe race and the record-breaking solo round the world non-stop record. Turner himself has competed at the highest level in professional sailing in events like the Whitbread Round the World Race, Transat Jacques Vabre and the Mini Transat. Following a series of successful tactical business mergers, OC Sport is now a leading event management company and rights holder operating from bases in the UK, France and Switzerland and runs events around the world across a variety of outdoor sports. In this exclusive interview with Sail Racing Magazine editor Justin Chisholm, Turner explains how he has managed to make a success of the grandstand sailing concept and shares his view on the current landscape and future of professional sailboat racing.
July 2013
36
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