This weekend has the SailGP league’s first-ever New Zealand event taking place on March 18 and 19 at the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch.
Christchurch is set to host a crucial showdown as the fight for the last two places in the three-boat Grand Final begins.
Nine national teams will look to upset home water hero Peter Burling and his New Zealand SailGP Team on Lyttelton Harbor.
The New Zealand F50 – now fully repaired after being struck by lightning in Singapore – enjoyed some brief time on the water Thursday before high winds meant the cancellation of Friday’s practice racing.
It means all teams will be largely entering into the unknown on Saturday for the penultimate event of SailGP Season 3.
At the official pre-race press conference Burling, who recently celebrated his wedding, said his focus was now on giving home fans a victory.
The Media Conference from the Christchurch round of SailGP took place Friday morning at Lyttleton.
The ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix kicks off on Saturday 18 March, when racing gets underway at 15:00 NZDT with six fleet races and the winner-takes-all Final scheduled across two days of racing.
As the penultimate event of Season 3 gets underway, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
It’s another early one for those in the UK . . . racing will be 02:00 hrs Saturday and Sunday, viewable on YouTube.
The congested Championship leaderboard sees just seven points separating New Zealand in second and Denmark in fifth. Christchurch is set to host a crucial showdown as the fight for the last two places in the three-boat Grand Final begins.
Team changes to note . . .
America’s Cup athlete Ben Cornish stepping in for grinder Matt Gotrel who is recovering from a fractured sacrum bone following his overboard incident last time out in Sydney.
Neil Hunter retains his place in Christchurch alongside trimmer grinder Nick Hutton. The driver, strategist, wing trimmer, and flight controller roles are again filled by Ben Ainslie (GBR), Hannah Mills (GBR), Iain Jensen (AUS) and Luke Parkinson (GBR / AUS) with Hannah Diamond (GBR) completing the line-up as the reserve sailor.
Seasoned sailor Glenn Ashby has joined the ranks of the Switzerland SailGP Team in Christchurch, replacing former wing trimmer Stu Bithell. Ashby brings a wealth of knowledge to this young team, but will it change their performance on the water?
United States driver Jimmy Spithill has unveiled a refreshed crew line up. Former flight controller Rome Kirby has returned in the role of tactician / grinder, while Cameron Farrah joins in the strategist role.
SAILGP SEASON 3 CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (after nine events)
1 // Australia // 76 points
2 // New Zealand // 64 points
3 // France // 63 points
4 // Great Britain // 61 points
5 // Denmark // 57 points
6 // United States // 52 points
7 // Canada // 49 points
8 // Spain // 27 points
9 // Switzerland // 25 points
