Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (ADOR) continue to power towards Itajaí in Brazil at the head of the fleet, with the possibility of extending their overall Volvo Ocean Race lead tantalisingly within their reach.

Skipper Ian Walker had said before the round-the-world race that consistent podium finishes could well be enough to win the event given the potential for major problems all the boats face.

That strategy looked better than ever on Wednesday after the news late the night before that his closest rivals, Dongfeng Race Team, were being forced to abandon Leg 5 after suffering a broken mast.

There is still a long way to go until Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing themselves are safely in port in south-eastern Brazil, but the eight points that the Chinese boat will receive for not finishing the 6,776-nautical mile stage is a major setback to their title hopes.

Victory in Itajaí would open up a seven-point lead for the Emirati crew over Dongfeng Race Team.

On Wednesday, Ador’s boat Azzam led Team Alvimedica by 9.2-nautical miles, with Mapfree and Team Brunel still very much in contention, trailing by 23.9nm and 37.7nm respectively.

The first four of the remaining racing fleet is expected to arrive in Itajaí around April 5-6, with Team SCA completing the gruelling stage two or three days later.

ADOR set a new speed record for the current edition this week, as Walker’s team raced 550.82 nautical miles in 24 hours as they approached Cape Horn.

Walker, a double Olympic silver medallist, said the conditions had been perfect for a record attempt and that the crew had given it their all to catch race leaders Alvimedica and set a new record in the process. “It was some of the most exhilarating sailing I’ve ever done,” he said. “I haven’t had as much fun at the wheel for a long time. We had 30 knots of wind, our fastest sail configuration and a relatively small but long rolling sea state — just perfect for maximising these new race yachts.”

Walker and his navigator Simon Fisher took Azzam on a more southerly heading on approach to Cape Horn and the gamble paid off as they powered their way up to second before securing the leg lead just after the Horn.

Fisher said the record run had required sailing constantly on the knife-edge of control to stay in the strongest winds.

“These new-generation VO65s sail fastest when you push them to the absolute limit,” said Fisher. “It was imperative we stayed ahead of the weather front that was generating the big breeze. To do that we knew we needed an incident-free final night before the Horn rounding. That meant three consecutive incident-free watches with no wipeouts or breakages — not easy when most of it was in the dark.”

With conditions moderating after the Horn, Walker did not expect the new record time to be bettered on this leg.

“Conditions before the Horn were ideal,” he said. “Now we have turned north and have 2,000 miles of tough sailing to do before the Leg 5 finish in Itajaí. You never know in ocean sailing but I don’t expect the new speed record to be threatened.”

Fans can follow the team’s progress via the race tracker at volvooceanrace.com.