Jimmy Spithill has signed on to become CEO and helm of the United States SailGP Team.
Spithill will lead the U.S. SailGP team when the global league returns for the start of its second season, 24 and 25 April 2021, at the Bermuda Grand Prix presented by Hamilton Princess.
Spithill is widely regarded as one of the sport’s top athletes in high-performance racing, having spent the last two decades competing in the America’s Cup.
He served as skipper of Oracle Team USA for more than 10 years, during which time he delivered two America’s Cup wins, including a dramatic come-from-behind victory in San Francisco in 2013, widely acclaimed as one of the greatest comebacks in sports history.
Born in Australia, Spithill permanently resides in San Diego, California, and currently competes with the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team – a challenger for the 36th America’s Cup.
That will be Spithill’s seventh campaign for the sport’s oldest trophy.
Rome Kirby, who previously led the SailGP team from inception as helm, will shift to the flight controller position, making the U.S. the only team to have a former F50 helm flying the boat.
The remainder of the U.S. team roster will be announced in the coming months.
Following the opener, the global championship will then travel to Taranto, Italy (June 5-6); Plymouth, UK (July 17-18); and Aarhus, Denmark (August 20-21). Four additional events have yet to be announced.
The Season 2 Grand Final at the United States Grand Prix in San Francisco in April 2022.
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