Yesterday, 4th April, saw twenty teams from Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Iceland arrive at the Volvo Training Centre in Madrid, to participate in the Nordic VISTA semi finals.
In contrast to the Spain, France and Italy semi finals that were held the day before, the atmosphere was calm and tranquil, with many competitors deep in concentration. The teams were well-coordinated, read the instructions thoroughly and followed the steps methodically.
“We teach them to be calm and take it easy, but not to forget about the time limit,” says Knud Baden, trainer in Denmark. “Denmark teams have practiced a lot for this, so they are really prepared.”
Throughout the competition, teams were visibly very calm and focused, despite this being the first time for many of them. They distributed their workload according to their individual abilities and skills, but without forgetting the need to work as a group.
“It’s hectic,” claim Stryn 3, a team from Norway. “But it hasn’t been a disaster yet. The theory tasks were easier because we could work together. In the practical tasks we have to divide amongst ourselves.”
With the competition part now over, participants can now spend the day enjoying the sights in Madrid, before meeting for the award ceremony this evening to find out which teams are going to the world final.
“You are very important for Volvo business,” claimed Arnaud Bouthenet, SVP Aftermarket & Soft Products, Volvo Trucks, during his speech to participants. “We hope you learn a lot in VISTA and have a lot of fun.”
