Will pendulum swing again at SailGP?

In the longest gap yet for 2022-23 SailGP Season 3, the nine teams return to the track on November 12-13 in Dubai, UAE. While dominant Australia has shown chinks in their armor, and momentum shifted toward France, New Zealand, and USA, the second half of the schedule commences after a two month break and questions whether the pendulum will swing again.

The race location of Dubai is another variable as it marks the league’s first ever event in the Middle East and will be the first time many of the teams have sailed in the city. Finding a speed edge may prove hard as smooth water and light-to-moderate winds will level the field.

The race location comes with plenty of unique challenges, including the tight racecourse of Port Rashid, which has the potential to create more boat-on-boat situations. However, the narrow track may also limit passing opportunities, further underlining the importance of making a good start.

With five events remaining, the USA team desperately needs to continue their emergence. After stumbling hard early in the season, their 5-1-2 in the past three events still has them down in seventh overall, but just seven points from the coveted top three which advance to the Season 3 Grand Final on May 6-7 in San Francisco, CA

Racing takes place in Dubai both days at 15:00-16:30 GST (06:00-07:30 EST).

SailGP information – Dubai details – Season 3 scoreboard – YouTube – How to watch

Season Three Standings (after six of 11 events)
1. Australia (Tom Slingsby), 50 points
2. New Zealand (Peter Burling), 46 points
3. France (Quintin Delapierre), 41 points
4. Great Britain (Ben Ainslie), 40 points
5. Canada (Phil Robertson), 36 points
6. Denmark (Nicolai Sehested), 36 points
7. United States (Jimmy Spithill), 34 points
8. Spain (Jordi Xammar), 19 points
9. Switzerland (Sebastien Schneiter), 14 points

2022-23 SailGP Season 3 Schedule
May 14-15, 2022 – Bermuda Sail Grand Prix presented by Hamilton Princess
June 18-19, 2022 – United States Sail Grand Prix | Chicago at Navy Pier
July 30-31, 2022 – Great Britain Sail Grand Prix | Plymouth
August 19-20, 2022 – ROCKWOOL Denmark Sail Grand Prix | Copenhagen
September 10-11, 2022 – France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez
September 24-25, 2022 – Spain Sail Grand Prix | Andalucía – Cádiz
November 12-13, 2022 – Dubai Sail Grand Prix presented by P&O Marinas
January 13-14, 2023 – Singapore Sail Grand Prix
February 17-18, 2023 – Australia Sail Grand Prix | Sydney
March 17-18, 2023 – New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch
May 6-7, 2023 – United States Sail Grand Prix | San Francisco (Season 3 Grand Final)

Format for 2022-23 SailGP events:
• Teams compete in identical F50 catamarans.
• Each event runs across two days.
• There are three qualifying races each day for all nine teams.*
• 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 prize money to be split among the top three teams.
• The season ends with the Grand Final, which includes the Championship Final Race – a winner-takes-all match race for the $1m prize.
* Qualifying schedule increased from five to six races at France SailGP.

For competition documents, click here.

Established in 2018, SailGP seeks to be an annual, global sports league featuring fan-centric inshore racing in some of the iconic harbors around the globe. Rival national teams compete in identical F50 catamarans for event prize money as the season culminates with a $1 million winner-takes-all match race.

Source: SailGP