Pivotal test for US SailGP Team

Dubai, United Arab Emirates (November 11, 2022) – Jimmy Spithill is keenly aware of the critical juncture facing the United States SailGP Team as it prepares for its next challenge, this weekend’s SailGP Middle East debut, the Dubai Sail Grand Prix presented by P&O Marinas. “We need to climb quite a lot of positions to try and crack into that top 3,” said the team CEO and driver.

Thanks to podium finishes in the last two events, the American team has significantly consolidated the standings gap to just seven points away from the top three on the Season 3 leaderboard. Spithill says the team plans to carry that positive momentum into this weekend’s racing.

“It’s important for the team to have confidence because you definitely need belief that you can go out and win an event, but we know we have a lot of work ahead of us,” said Spithill. “We need to keep fighting our way back into the competition.”

Coming off of a second-place finish in Spain six weeks ago when the U.S. team missed the event win by just three seconds (U.S. SailGP fans can relive all the action when CBS airs the best of Spain Sail Grand Prix | Andalucía – Cádiz presented by NEAR this Sunday at 5 p.m. EST), Spithill is preparing for even closer racing action this weekend on Dubai’s extremely tight race course.

He says a key for all the teams, but especially the U.S., is just to avoid the carnage that a confined race course can produce. Plus, Dubai’s flat water and anticipated light to medium wind conditions will level the playing field, putting a premium on tactical decisions and flawless boat handling. “On a race track like this, anything can happen.”

Racing takes place in Dubai on November 12 and 13 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