Abu Dhabi: Groupama sailing team claimed victory by less than one minute in the second stage of Leg 2 after edging out overall leg winners Team Telefónica in a nail-biting finish here on Wednesday.
The French challengers closed the gap with Telefónica to two boat lengths within 20 nautical miles of the finish during the fast-paced 98 nautical mile drag race from the Sharjah coastline, before clinching the lead with slick manoeuvres at the final mark rounding.
Franck Cammas' men surged to victory in a 20 knot northwest breeze and big swell at 4.22pm, finishing just 52 seconds ahead of Telefónica.
Groupama scored six points to add to the 12 they scored for finishing fourth in stage one of the leg, which was split into two stages by race organisers because of the threat of piracy. The French team remain third on the overall leaderboard with 42 points, while Telefónica hold pole position with 66.
Camper finished in third place at 4.27pm to pick up four points, followed by Puma Ocean Racing a minute later for three points.
Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing scored two points for finishing fifth at 4.32pm at their home port - the race's first Middle Eastern stopover.
