SAN FRANCISCO- 06 MAY, 2023 – The Aussies have shown their infamous aggression on the San Francisco race course, dominating the dramatic first day of racing at the Mubadala SailGP Season 3 Grand Final.
Whilst the Australian’s have already secured their seat in the Grand Final winner-takes-all race (starting at 7:30 am AEDT Monday), Slingsby confessed that the team needed to do well in the fleet racing to build confidence ahead of the final dance of SailGP season 3.
The Aussies secured two firsts and a third place in the fleet races, placing them in number one position on the event leaderboard.
Tom Slingsby said: “It’s the day we needed and It’s given us that confidence that we have missed at previous events.”
Fans were also forced to hold their breath during the second fleet race of the day, as Phil Robertson’s Canada Team almost collided with the Australians, which could have taken the Flying Roo out of the Grand Final. It was the quick thinking of Slingsby who turned the Flying Roo up quickly to avoid a catastrophe.
Tom Slingsby said: “I don’t know if they didn’t see us or they didn’t react in time but that was a really close call. The aggressive side of me that wanted to win the race wanted to press on them but then the other part took over and told me to get out of there and keep it clean to protect the asset.”
Based on the results of today’s racing, New Zealand is likely to meet the Aussies in the Grand Final race, with France and Emirates Great Britain left to battle for the third seat. However with two fleet races remaining everything is still to play for.
Tom Slingsby said: “We all know that if we get locked into a battle with another boat, the third guy is going to be able to sail away faster. It’s $1million dollars for first and $0 dollars for second so there is no second tomorrow.”
The two qualifying fleet races and the Grand Final race will take place on San Francisco Bay between 2.30pm-4pm PDT on Sunday. Australian fans can tune in live on Fox Sports and on Kayo in Australia to watch the racing. Kayo are offering fans free access to both the live and replay racing, via its Kayo Freebies offer.
ABOUT SAILGP // SailGP is the world’s most exciting racing on water. The global championship features national teams battling in short, intense races at iconic stadium-style venues across the globe. The high-tech, high-speed action features sailing’s best athletes racing in identical hydrofoiling F50 catamarans, flying at speeds approaching 100 km/h. SailGP also races for a better future, championing a world powered by nature. Visit SailGP.com for more information.
CONTACT // Olivia Hogan, Senior Manager, Marketing and Communications, Australia | ohogan@sailgpaus.com | AUS +61 44895 3992
