American Magic acquires Danish team

ROCKWOOL Racing SailGP Team, one of 13 teams competing the SailGP global sports league, has been acquired by leading sports investor and American Magic Co-Founder, Doug DeVos. The transaction brings together leaders in global business and high-performance sport with a shared ambition to accelerate on-water performance and bolster the next generation of professional racing talent.

“American Magic are world-class operators, equipped to compete at the very highest levels of our sport,” said Sir Russell Coutts, SailGP CEO and co-founder. “Together with the shared commitment and mission of ROCKWOOL, this new team ownership has the foundations for sustained performance, innovation, and growth for many years to come.”

Led by DeVos, part of the family ownership group of the NBA’s Orlando Magic, the US $60 million transaction was supported on this acquisition by Miller Johnson and IKON Capital, the sports-focused investment and advisory platform, which also joins as a co-investor in the team.

“This is an exciting time for American Magic,” noted DeVos. “Partnering with SailGP and ROCKWOOL Racing brings together three organizations committed to high performance. SailGP has reshaped the sport through global competition, innovation, and fan engagement, and ROCKWOOL Racing is already a high-performing team with a strong foundation.

“Together, we see a clear opportunity to build a winning team, deliver results on and off the water, advance elite talent, and inspire the next generation of sailors, designers, and boat builders.”

American Magic will own and operate the team, with ROCKWOOL continuing as Title Partner until 2032. ROCKWOOL will remain central to the team’s identity and long-term vision, supporting performance, innovation, and global brand growth within the championship. The team will continue to represent Denmark and will feature a minimum of three Danish athletes when fully crewed, in line with SailGP nationality rules.

The team – led by Danish driver Nicolai Sehested – will transition into American Magic’s broader performance eco-system, with a focus on elite performance and talent development. Earlier this year, SailGP launched its first long-term training base at the state-of-the-art American Magic Performance and Innovation Center in Pensacola, Florida, as part of the wider agreement between the two organizations.

“This acquisition transforms a passion-driven project into a return-delivering, strategic investment in a fast-growing sport,” noted Mike Cazer, CEO of American Magic. “We look forward to building the team’s high-performance platform, helping it compete at the front of the fleet, and adding value to the league. Success, for us, means developing a winning team in ROCKWOOL Racing, strengthening SailGP, and delivering for our title sponsor – ROCKWOOL.”

The second event for Season 6 will take place at 4:00pm to 5:30pm local time on February 14-15 in Auckland, New Zealand (10:00pm to 11:30pm EST on February 13-14). For team crew lists: click here.

SailGP information – Auckland details – How to watch

Season 6 – 2026 Schedule:
• Jan 17-18 – Perth, Australia
• Feb 14-15 – Auckland, New Zealand
• Feb 28-March 1 – Sydney, Australia
• Apr 11-12  – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• May 9-10 – Hamilton, Bermuda
• May 30-31 – New York, USA
• June 20-21 – Halifax, Canada
• July 25-26- Portsmouth, GBR
• August 22-23 – Sassnitz, Germany
• Sept 5-6 – Valencia, Spain
• Nov 21-22 – Dubai, UAE
• Nov 28-29 – Abu Dhabi, UAE
Note: The 11th event was moved to Geneva from Saint-Tropez, France.

Season 6 format:
• Thirteen teams compete in identical F50 catamarans.
• Each event is two days.
• All teams compete in up to seven qualifying fleet races of approximately 15 minutes.
• The top three teams from qualifying advance to a final race for the event title.
• The season ends with the Grand Final event which includes the Championship Final Race for the top three teams in the season standing.
• All teams are privately owned except for New Zealand and Spain which are owned by the league.

Season 6 prize money:
A total of USD $12.8 million is up for grabs in 2026. The winner of each of the 13 events takes home $400,000, with $260,000 for second and $140,000 for third. The team with the most points at the end of the season wins $400,000, while the team that wins the Championship Final Race wins USD $2 million.

F50 Configuration:
All teams use same configuration based on weather forecast. There are four wingsail sizes (18m, 24m, 27.5m, and 29m), two T-foil daggerboards (high-speed and low-speed), and one set of rudders with high-speed and low-speed settings.

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