SailGP: Five things to watch in Dubai

The sixth stop for the SailGP Season 4’s 13-event calendar takes place on December 9-10 in Dubai, UAE. With changes among several of the 10 teams, here are five things to watch for when racing gets underway:

Jimmy Spithill driving for Australia
Aussie driver Tom Slingsby is on paternity leave, which means Dubai will be the first ever SailGP event he’s missed. In his place, he’s drafted in fellow Aussie and former USA driver Jimmy Spithill, who will sub in for Slingsby in the driving position. Spithill steps on board the gold and green F50 fresh from triumphing with the American crew in Cadiz – but can he repeat the success when racing gets underway?

New-look USA team’s debut
Taylor Canfield will debut as USA’s new driver in Dubai, but also new will be the crew and coach. How will the American team fare with so much change, and can they hold onto the Championship podium when racing begins?

Canada crew reshuffle
Gone from the USA team is wing trimmer Paul Campbell-James (GBR) who has joined the Canadian line-up when racing gets underway. Canada also picked up the USA’s former coach – Philippe Presti (FRA). What changes will this make to the Canadian team’s performance?

Will Canada and Spain’s feud continue in Dubai?
It was an eventful European season for Spain and Canada, with the two teams coming to blows in both Saint-Tropez and Cadiz. Will the growing feud between Diego Botin and Phil Robertson’s crews continue to build or fizzle out when racing resumes?

Dubai’s flat water
The flat water and enclosed racecourse of Dubai’s Mina Rashid has the potential to favor the more inexperienced teams in the fleet – specifically Switzerland, the United States, Germany, and Spain. Could Spain repeat its flat water and light wind victory of L.A.? Or will Germany or Switzerland secure a first ever event win?

SailGP information – Dubai details – YouTube – How to watch

Season Standings (after five of 13 events; results and total points)
1. Australia (Tom Slingsby), 2-3-2-2-3; 43 points
2. Denmark (Nicolai Sehested), 4-2-4-7-2; 36
3. United States (Jimmy Spithill), 9-5-5-3-1; 32
4. Spain (Diego Botin), 5-1-3-6-6; 32
5. Great Britain (Ben Ainslie), 7-6-1-1-8; 32
6. New Zealand (Peter Burling), 1-7-8-DNC/6-4; 30
7. Canada (Phil Robertson), 3-4-10-5-5; 24
8. France (Quintin Delapierre), 6-8-6-4-7; 24
9. Switzerland (Sebastien Schneiter), 8-9-9-9; 11
10. Germany (Erik Heil), 10-10-7-8-9-10; 8
Notes:
• Canada SailGP Team: Docked four points in Season Championship for eight-point penalty at France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez
• Germany SailGP Team: Docked two points in Season Championship for four-point penalty at Oracle Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix
• New Zealand SailGP Team: Granted six event points for Italy Sail Grand Prix as unable to compete due to wing damage suffered at France Sail Grand Prix.

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 | Auckland
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 after Abu Dhabi) that’s divided among the top three teams.
• 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: SailGP