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Sport | Sailing fleet race |
---|---|
Founded | 2019 |
Founder | |
Owner(s) | F50 League LLC |
CEO | Russell Coutts |
Motto | Powered by Nature |
No. of teams | 10 |
Most recent champion(s) | Australia SailGP Team (3rd title) (2022–23 SailGP championship) |
Most titles | Tom Slingsby |
Official website | Official website |
2023–24 SailGP championship |
SailGP is an international sailing competition that features high-performance F50 foiling catamarans, where teams compete across a season of multiple grands prix around the world. [1] Its reigning champions are Tom Slingsby's Australia SailGP Team, who won their 3rd consecutive title in the 2022-23 SailGP championship. [2] [3] [4]
The competition was founded by Larry Ellison, founder of Oracle, and champion yachtsman Russell Coutts. [5] They aimed to establish a commercially viable global race series with a large audience. This had been unsuccessfully attempted in the past with series such as the Extreme Sailing Series. The SailGP format uses fast-foiling catamarans in a variety of spectacular locations. [6] Teams are currently owned by the competition with the intention of becoming privately owned. [7]
In the fourth season the fleet grew to 10 teams, with 5 of these privately owned. The organizer expect two more teams for the fifth season. [8]
The F50 boats used in the competition are one-design boats maintained and operated by SailGP. Technical information is also shared between teams, which includes large amounts of data collected using Oracle systems. This is intended to prevent secret "arms races" that the organizers believe dominate the America's Cup and to ensure that the outcomes of races are determined by skill and ability, and not technology. [9] [10] [11]
Each SailGP event consists of two days of competitive racing. The first day of racing consists of three fleet races, while the second day consists of two fleet races and a match race final. [12] In the 2019 SailGP championship, the two highest-ranking teams in the event leaderboard qualified for the match race final of that event; in the 2021-22 SailGP championship, the three highest-ranking teams in the event leaderboard qualified for the match race final. [13]
The final race of the season is a match race between the two highest-scoring crews over the season, with the winner earning a US$1 million prize. [14] [15] The circuit has been funded for 5 years to allow the competition to become self-sustaining. This would see it run until at least 2023. [10]
Fleet races in each event are scored with the winning team scoring ten points, the second-placed team scoring nine points, and so on. The three highest-ranking teams in the event leaderboard qualify for the match race final of that event. [13]
The winner of the match race final is awarded ten points in the championship leaderboard, with second and third place being awarded nine and eight points respectively. Teams who did not qualify for the match race final are awarded points corresponding to their rankings in the event leaderboard. [13]
After the 2021 Bermuda Sail Grand Prix, additional penalty rules were put in place to discourage collisions on the race course. Boats that collide during an event accumulate contact and damage points, which result in deductions from the season championship. [16]
The driver [17] or helm, is responsible for making decisions regarding the boat's course on the racecourse and communicating the plan to the crew. Additionally, many skippers, including the driver, are heavily involved in the logistics of the event.
The flight controller's [17] primary responsibility is to maintain the boat's elevation, aiming to keep it airborne as much as possible. Any time the boat touches the water is considered a mistake by the flight controller. They work closely with the driver and wing trimmer to ensure the boat maintains its speed and stability.
The wing trimmer [17] is tasked with understanding how to generate and distribute power effectively on the boat. They have control over the wing's shape, influencing the boat's performance. The wing trimmer collaborates closely with the driver to optimize sailing modes for speed.
Grinders [17] are positioned at the front of the boat, with one facing forward and the other facing backward. They operate the winch handle to assist in trimming the wing sheet efficiently. This requires precision and coordination with the wing trimmer to deliver the necessary power.
The strategist or tactician, positioned behind the driver, plays a crucial role in analyzing data and providing strategic input. They are responsible for monitoring changing wind conditions, assisting in maneuvers, and keeping a close watch on the fleet. With the introduction of a control panel and information display screen, the role of the strategist has become even more integral to sailing. [18]
Year | Winners | Runner-up | 3rd place |
2019 | Australia Tom Slingsby | Japan Nathan Outteridge | China Phil Robertson |
2021-22 | Australia Tom Slingsby | Japan Nathan Outteridge | United States Jimmy Spithill |
2022-23 | Australia Tom Slingsby | New Zealand Peter Burling | Great Britain Ben Ainslie |
2023-24 | |||
The inaugural competition was in 2019 with six teams competing from Australia, China, France, Great Britain, Japan, and the United States of America. The competition consisted of a circuit of five race meets in Sydney, [19] San Francisco, [20] New York, [21] Cowes, [22] and Marseille. The Australian team, skippered by Tom Slingsby won the competition and the prize in a final match race against the Japanese team skippered by Nathan Outteridge. [23]
Over the first season, SailGP attracted over 133,000 live spectators and had a television audience of 1.8 billion. The five races had a claimed economic impact of US$115 million on their host cities. [24] [25] [26]
The second season, of SailGP introduced two new teams to the sport, with Spain replacing the Chinese team [27] and Denmark joining on as the 7th team. [28] The British team changed as well, signing four-time Olympic Gold medalist and America's Cup skipper Ben Ainslie. The revamped team introduced members of the original British team and the America's Cup team Ineos Team UK. [29]
This season was scheduled to visit the same venues of the first season but with Marseille swapped out for Copenhagen for the final venue, which coincided with the arrival of the new Danish team. [30] The first round of the season began in Sydney, Australia. On the first day, Ben Ainslie and his British team won the first three races. [31] On the second day of racing, Great Britain won a further race in the fleet races, with Australia taking the final fleet race. In the championship race, Great Britain beat the Australian team, winning them their first event title. [32]
The second round of the 2020 SailGP race was due to be held in San Francisco, in May 2020, [33] however SailGP suspended its season until the end of June 2020. SailGP later delayed the second season until 2021 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with points from the Sydney race removed from the championship. [34]
The 2021–22 SailGP championship saw the arrival of the New Zealand SailGP Team, skippered by two-time America's Cup winner and 49er gold medalist Peter Burling. [35] The season commenced in April 2021 with the Bermuda Sail Grand Prix, which was won by Ben Ainslie's Great Britain SailGP team. [36] Future venues include Taranto, Plymouth, Aarhus, Saint-Tropez, Cádiz, and Lyttelton Harbour, with the final venue being San Francisco. [37]
Ultimately the season was won by the Australia SailGP team in the final race in San Francisco Bay. [3]
The third season of SailGP again introduced two new teams to the sport, with Canada and Switzerland joining, and three new venues with the additions of Dubai, Singapore, and New Zealand. The venue in Denmark moved from Aarhus to Copenhagen and there will be 2 venues in the United States, Chicago, and San Francisco [38]
The fourth season of SailGP intended to introduce a fan-owned team to the sport, representing Bermuda and the Caribbean, but funding considerations delayed their entry. [39] In addition, a new team, representing Germany, was added as the 10th SailGP team. The new SailGP Germany team is co-owned by Riedel Communications owner Thomas Riedel and former Formula 1 champion Sebastian Vettel. [40]
Team Name | Country | Ownership | Years active |
---|---|---|---|
Australia SailGP Team | league | since 2019 | |
Canada SailGP Team | private/league | since 2022 | |
Rockwool Denmark SailGP Team | private | since 2021 | |
France SailGP Team | league | since 2019 | |
Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team | private | since 2019 | |
New Zealand SailGP Team | league | since 2021 | |
Spain SailGP Team | league | since 2021 | |
Switzerland SailGP Team | private | since 2022 | |
United States SailGP Team | private [42] | since 2019 | |
Germany SailGP Team | private | since 2023 | |
Former Teams | |||
China SailGP Team | league | 2019 | |
Japan SailGP Team | league | 2019-2022 |
Since 2019, SailGP also organizes an Esports competition known as eSailGP. [43]
Alinghi, or Alinghi Red Bull Racing because of the sports marketing branding by Red Bull, is the syndicate set up by Ernesto Bertarelli, racing under the colors of the Société Nautique de Genève, to challenge for the America's Cup, as well as other competitions. Bertarelli had raced several smaller yachts named Alinghi previously, but 2003 was his first attempt at the America's Cup. Alinghi challenged for and won the 2003 America's Cup in Auckland New Zealand and successfully defended it at the 2007 America's Cup in Valencia, Spain. Alinghi lost the America's Cup to the Golden Gate Yacht Club and their team BMW Oracle Racing in a Deed of Gift match in Valencia, Spain in February 2010.
Sir Russell Coutts is a world champion New Zealand yachtsman.
Sir Charles Benedict Ainslie is a British competitive sailor. Ainslie is the most successful sailor in Olympic history. He won medals at five consecutive Olympics from 1996 onwards, including gold at the four consecutive Games held between 2000 and 2012.
Team New Zealand or TNZ is a sailing team based in Auckland, New Zealand representing the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.
Christopher Stuart Dickson is a sailor from New Zealand. He was world youth champion three years in succession and later became world match race champion three times. He also skippered several yachts in America's Cup racing, and for New Zealand at the 2000 Summer Olympics, and in numerous other sailing competitions.
The 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup held in Valencia, Spain, from April 16 to June 6 was the event used to select the challenger for the 2007 America's Cup. Eleven potential challengers competed in the competition which consisted of two round robins, two semi-finals and a final. The winner was Emirates Team New Zealand, who challenged the defender Alinghi in June 2007 for the America's Cup.
Nathan James Outteridge is an Australian sailor, a resident of Lake Macquarie.
Tom Slingsby is a successful Australian competitive sailor. Slingsby's first successes came sailing Laser dinghies, where he won three consecutive world championships and the 2012 Olympic gold medal. Slingsby was the strategist for the America's Cup-winning Team Oracle USA in 2013. In 2016 he skippered the winner-of-line honours in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race line. Following this he skippered the Australian team in the inaugural SailGP competition.
The 1987 Defender Selection Series was raced between four syndicates competing for the right to represent the Royal Perth Yacht Club as the defender of the America's Cup. Kookaburra III won the series and advanced to the 1987 America's Cup. However, they failed to defend the cup from the challenge of Stars & Stripes 87.
New Zealand Challenge was a sailing team funded by Michael Fay that challenged for the America's Cup three times between 1987 and 1992. New Zealand Challenge was the first team from New Zealand to enter the competition.
Chris Draper is a British sailor who has won multiple World and European championships and a bronze medal at the Sailing at the 2004 Olympic competing in the mixed 49er. He has been a winner of the Extreme Sailing Series and was helmsman for Luna Rossa, Italy's America's cup challenger 2011 to 2015. In the 34th Americas cup he became the first Britain to helm in the Louis Vuitton cup final. For the ACWS & 35th America's Cup between 2015 and the Cup event in Bermuda in June 2017 he held the position of Sailing Team Manager / Tactician and Wing trimmer for Softbank Team Japan. In 2019 he became CEO and Wing trimmer for the Great Britain team racing in the newly formed SailGP, racing the F50 hydro foiling catamarans in a global racing circuit. In 2021 he joined the Japanese SailGP team as a Wing Trimmer. winning multiple events during the 2021/2022 SailGP season and finishing runners up overall.
The 2017 Louis Vuitton Challenger's Trophy was a sailing competition held to determine the challenger in the 2017 America's Cup.
INEOS Britannia is a British sailing team that is the challenger of record for the 37th America's Cup.
Kyle Langford is an Australian sailor who has competed in multiple America's Cups
The F50 is a one-design foiling catamaran used in the SailGP race series. The name is an abbreviation of "Foiling" and "a hull length of 50 feet". The F50s are adapted from the AC50s used in the America's Cup, with modifications including new control systems and modular wingsails. The F50s are one of the fastest racing classes in history, with a predicted top speed of 52.2 knots ; the current F50 speed record, achieved by the France SailGP Team at the Range Rover France Sail Grand Prix in 2022, stands at 53.96 knots.
The 2021–22 SailGP Championship was the second season of the SailGP championship. Originally due to be contested in 2020, the season was postponed to 2021 after the first round in Sydney due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and was then extended into the early months of 2022.
The 2022–23 SailGP Championship was the third season of the SailGP championship.
The Australia SailGP Team is an Australian sailing team led by Tom Slingsby which participates in SailGP. They are 3-time reigning and defending champions, having won every season since the competition formed in 2019.
The 2023–24 SailGP Championship is the fourth season of the SailGP championship.
United States SailGP Team is a US American sailing team which participates in the SailGP international sailing competition. They are helmed by team CEO Jimmy Spithill.
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