The 13-event schedule for SailGP Season 4 is on its North American leg with the 12th event taking place on June 22-23 in New York City, USA. Here are five things to watch for when racing gets underway:
Australia under pressure
Three-time champions Australia are in unfamiliar territory, now sitting third on the overall season leaderboard after a disappointing 8th place finish in Halifax. The Aussies have just a six point lead over France in 4th place and will need to deliver a top performance in New York to concrete their top three ranking heading for the final event in San Francisco.
Spain, Australia, France, and Denmark set to scrap
It’s tight at the top, with just 8 points separating Spain in 2nd and Denmark in 5th. After San Francisco’s fleet racing, only the top three teams on the overall season leaderboard will move into the winner-takes-all, $2 million Grand Final, which means teams will be putting it all on the line in New York to secure a podium finish.
Slingsby and Outteridge’s rivalry resurrected
There was plenty of drama in Halifax, with Nathan Outteridge’s Switzerland dramatically luffing Australia, causing Tom Slingsby’s crew to nosedive into the water. Both Slingsby and Outteridge have history in New York, with Slingsby’s Australia going head to head against Outteridge’s now defunct Japanese team in the Season 1 Final. Outteridge won that battle, but who will come out top of the rivalry this time?
First home event for the United States
Taylor Canfield’s United States will be looking to draw on the home support when racing in New York gets underway, with the event marking the revamped team’s first ever home race. The team had a disappointing performance in Halifax, with three last place finishes on day one – can they turn it around on home turf?
A turning point for Great Britain?
Halifax marked a turning point for new Emirates GBR driver Giles Scott, with the team bouncing back from a spate of poor performances to pick up their third event win of the season (the team won in both Saint Tropez and Taranto with Ben Ainslie as driver). Will Emirates GBR keep the momentum going in New York or will Halifax prove to be a flash in the pan?
SailGP information – New York details– YouTube – How to watch
Season 4 Standings (after 11 of 13 events; results and total points)
1. New Zealand (Peter Burling), 1-7-8-DNC/6-4-1-1-3-1-2-5; 83 points
2. Spain (Diego Botin), 5-1-3-6-6-10-2-5-4-1-4; 72
3. Australia (Tom Slingsby), 2-3-2-2-3-2-7-1-10-3-7; 71
4. France (Quintin Delapierre), 6-8-6-4-7-4-4-4-2-9-2; 65
5. Denmark (Nicolai Sehested), 4-2-4-7-2-6-9-2-9-5-3; 64
6. Great Britain (Ben Ainslie/Giles Scott), 7-6-1-1-8-5-8-7-7-8-1; 58
7. Canada (Phil Robertson), 3-4-10-5-5-3-6-10-3-4-6; 58
8. United States (Jimmy Spithill/Taylor Canfield), 9-5-5-3-1-8-3-9-8-10-10; 50
9. Germany (Erik Heil), 10-10-7-8-9-10-9-5-6-5-6-8; 35
10. Switzerland (Sebastien Schneiter/Nathan Outteridge), 8-9-9-9-7-10-8-6-7-9; 28
For scoring adjustments, click here.
Season 4 – 2023
June 16-17 – United States Sail Grand Prix | Chicago at Navy Pier
July 22-23 – United States Sail Grand Prix | Los Angeles
September 9-10 – France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez
September 23-24 – Italy Sail Grand Prix | Taranto
October 14-15 – Spain Sail Grand Prix | Andalucía- Cádiz
December 9-10 – Dubai Sail Grand Prix | Dubai*
Season 4 – 2024
January 13-14 – Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix | Abu Dhabi
February 24-25 – Australia Sail Grand Prix | Sydney
March 23-24 – New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch
May 4-5 – Bermuda Sail Grand Prix
June 1-2 – Canada Sail Grand Prix | Halifax
June 22-23 – United States Sail Grand Prix | New York
July 13-14 – SailGP Season 4 Grand Final | San Francisco
* Added October 3, 2023
Format for Season 4:
• Teams compete in identical F50 catamarans.
• Each event runs across two days.
• Up to seven qualifying fleet races of approximately 15 minutes may be scheduled for each regatta.
• The top three teams from qualifying advance to a final race to be crowned event champion and earn the largest share of the $300,000.00 USD event prize money purse (increases to $400k for Abu Dhabi with the winning team now earning $200k at each event).
• The season ends with the Grand Final, which includes the Championship Final Race for the top three teams in the season standing with the winner claiming the $2 million USD prize.
• The top team on points ahead of the three-boat Championship Final will be awarded $350,000.00.
For competition documents, click here.
Established in 2018, SailGP seeks to be an annual, global sports league featuring fan-centric inshore racing among national teams in some of the iconic harbors around the globe.
Source: scuttlebutt – https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2024/06/20/sailgp-five-things-to-watch-in-new-york/
