AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND- 18 January, 2025 – The Australian’s have secured pole position in the leaderboard following the opening day of the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix in Auckland, with their APAC rivals New Zealand finishing in fourth place.
The day featured a bumper racing schedule of four fleet races, with the Aussies picking up a solid 5-1-2-2 racing record in front of sell out crowds. The Australians closed the day at the top of the fleet with 34 points and a commanding six point lead ahead of Emirates GBR in second place.
Australia’s driver Tom Slingsby described the conditions as “an unbelievably tight and tricky race track where you were constantly on edge,” emphasizing the fine balance between gaining leads and avoiding collisions. Reflecting on the team’s performance, Slingsby said, “We’re really happy with today. It was one of those days where things could have gone south after a tough first race, but we managed to reset and delivered three strong performances with solid starts.”
The new T-Foils proved challenging for many teams in racing, highlighting the steep learning curve compared to the previous L-Foils. Jason Waterhouse, Australia’s Flight Controller, noted the impact of mastering the new setup: “The losses can be huge if you don’t get it right with these foils.”
With a spot in the winner-takes-all final at stake, Slingsby’s crew remains laser-focused on maintaining their lead heading into the decisive day. “We’re not counting our chickens yet,” Slingsby said. “We know how quickly things can change, as we saw in Dubai when we missed the final by just one point.”
Racing resumes tomorrow from 14:00 to 15:30 AEDT, featuring two final fleet races followed by the podium-deciding showdown between the top three teams. Fans can catch all the high-speed action live on Fox Sports and Kayo Sports.
Olivia Hogan Director, Australia SailGP Team
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