As well as extending his overall lead in The Race, Grant Dalton established a world speed record yesterday when he achieved 652.4 miles in 24 hours - the distance between Paris and Rome - sailing at an average speed of 27.8 knots.

Yesterday morning an excited Grant Dalton explained to his shore team by satellite phone how the record on his giant maxi catamaran came about relatively easily, as the catamaran streaked half way round the world on target for one of the most coveted prizes in world yachting.

"The sailing angle was right and the sea state reasonable," he said.

"We've consumed more than half of our food and fuel, so the boat is much, much lighter and just sails faster."

Dalton said he had toyed with the thought of setting a speed record in The Race, but often the wind and wave conditions either wouldn't allow it or would take him too far from the best course around the world as he fought to stave off the other big four cats in the circumnavigation battle. Club Med led nearest rival, Innovation Explorer, by 826 miles yesterday evening.

Third place Team Adventure (Cam Lewis), who is still attempting to recover from its two-day pit stop in South Africa, is 4,894 miles adrift of Dalton.

The fleet started on New Year's Eve in Barcelona on a no-holds-barred circumnavigation billed as the most dangerous yacht race of all time. The leaders are expected to round Cape Horn this weekend. They can expect the fast pace to last another day and a half before the weather forces them to slow down before approaching Cape Horn.

Innovation Explorer is falling out the back of the weather system while Dalton is riding the front of it and as long as he can stay in it he'll open up a very big lead.

Positions (8.30 GMT Thursday 9th): 1 Club Med (distance to finish) 8,483.9 miles; 2 Innovation Explorer (distance to leader) 826.6 miles; 3 Team Adventure (dtl) 4,894.1 miles; 4 Warta Polpharma (dtl) 5,844.4 miles; 5 Team Legato (dtl) 6,726.2 miles.