SailGP Sails the Bay at Full Speed this Weekend!
It’s full speed ahead for SailGP’s eight-nation fleet as they head into Season 2’s home stretch. On March 26-27, vying for the highly coveted $1 million top prize, the Mubadala United States Sail Grand Prix will play host to the championship league’s Grand Finale on San Francisco Bay.
As the final event of Season 2 approaches, stay tuned to see if the defending champions, Australian SailGP Team, will clinch their second consecutive title, or if a new winner will be crowned. Since the races take place on San Francisco Bay, SF on the Bay is rooting for the United States SailGP Team, led by two-time America’s Cup champion Jimmy Spithill.
Who’s competing? Eight nations: Defender Australia and Challengers: Canada, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Japan, New Zealand and the United States.
Ranking by points with Drivers:
- Australia 55 – Tom Slingsby
- United States 53 – Jimmy Spithill
- Japan 51 – Nathan Outteridge
- Spain 43 – Phil Robertson
- New Zealand 42 – Peter Burlington
- Great Britain 41 – Ben Ainslie
- Denmark 38 – Nicolai Sehested
- France 35 – Quentin Delapierre
Saturday March 26, and Sunday March 27, races are scheduled for 14:00 -15:30 (2-3:30pm). The Race Village will be open from 12:00-18:00 (12noon – 6pm).
What is SailGP?
It’s fast-paced racing by young (team mean age is 26) world champion sailors. Some think SailGP is redefining the future of sailing and competitive racing in its second season of fierce competition around the globe. Different than each team designing their own boats to spec like for the America’s Cup competition, the SailGP F50 boats are engineered to be identical – leaving the competition with the teams’ performance and use of the cutting edge technology. According to Rome Kirby, Team USA, “Sailing the F50 is next level. It is more powerful than anything I have sailed before and is a truly intense ride.”
SailGP teams are racing in iconic harbors and bays throughout the world. In season 2 they started youth sailing programs in each market where they race, providing opportunities through yacht clubs where young people can aspire to become their very best on a pathway to sailing success.
Inspire is SailGP’s community, education and outreach initiative, powered by their belief that sailing can be a force for good – Powered by Nature, Driven by Purpose.
SailGP goal: To leave a positive legacy and build a sustainable sport – by providing equal, life-changing opportunities and new career pathways for all, regardless of race or socioeconomic background.
In their passion for protecting the oceans, one of SailGP’s sustainability efforts will be to eliminate plastic waste during the races. SailGP’s target is to accelerate the transition to clean energy and be the most sustainable and purpose-driven sports and entertainment property.
“We champion a world powered by wind // powered by sun // powered by water. Because we believe sport has the power to change the world.” SailGP website.
Upcoming Season 3
The newly formed Switzerland SailGP Team will start racing in its cutting-edge F50 in SailGP Season 3, going head-to-head against some of the most illustrious names in the sport. Driver Sébastien Schneiter will be the youngest driver the series has had.
Here’s how to watch. Buy your tickets to watch on the spot! Details at SailGP.com
Japan SailGP Team helmed by Nathan Outteridge in action during the Season 2 fleet races in Australia. December 2021. Photo:/Phil Hilyard for SailGP
Sailors in the SailGP Inspire program assist the USA SailGP Team at the technical base ahead of San Francisco SailGP, Season 2 in San Francisco, USA. 22nd March 2022. Photo: Felix Diemer for SailGP.
Guests of the SailGP Inspire Mubadala event speak with Red Bull surfers Kai Lenny and Jamie O’Brien inside the USA SailGP Team tent at the technical base ahead of San Francisco SailGP, Season 2 in San Francisco, USA. March 22, 2022. Photo/Ricardo Pinto for SailGP
