Groupama sets the pace in Volvo Ocean Race

France's Groupama extended its lead after rounding New Caledonia on the fourth leg of the Volvo Ocean Race on Tuesday, although light winds are expected to see the gap narrow on the final run to Auckland. Groupama was almost 100 nautical miles ahead of second-placed American team Puma, which was following the same path southward as the leader, with Telefonica a further 60 nautical miles back but further to the west. While Telefonica, which won the first three legs, was making good speed at around 15.5 knots, Puma pitman Ryan Godfrey believed the Spanish yacht had a more difficult task to reach New Zealand. "I wouldn’t trade places with Telefonica, even the way they’ve been going," he said. "It’s a long way uphill for the guys to the west. I’d rather be where we are and taking the high and slow road." Telefonica, the Spanish-New Zealand entry Camper and last-placed Team Sanya originally intended to pass to the west of New Caledonia but volatile weather forced them to change their plans and head for the island's east. That gave a boost to the other three yachts in the race, which were always on the easterly path. Groupama and Puma exploited the advantage, unlike Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, which was fifth, 233 nautical miles off the pace. Despite the setback, Camper skipper Chris Nicholson had not given up hope of leading the field into his native New Zealand, saying an approaching low-wind zone meant it could still be anybody's race. "There's opportunities here, I think, for every team at the moment, and that ranges between a first or a last in this leg," he said. "Certainly nothing can be taken for granted at the moment." The race set sail from Alicante, Spain, in November and finishes in Galway, Ireland, in July. The latest leg, which began in Sanya, China, on February 20, is expected to end with the first yachts reaching Auckland on March 10. Overall standings after three of nine offshore legs: 1. Telefonica (Spain) 101 points; 2. Camper/ETNZ (New Zealand) 83; 3. Groupama (France) 73; 4. Puma (US) 53; 5. Abu Dhabi (UAE) 43; 6. Sanya (China) 17