Emirates GBR back in action in New York after SailGP victory in Canada

Emirates GBR back in action in New York after SailGP victory in Canada

by Emirates GBR SailGP Team 22 June 16:19 HKT
22-23 June 2024

The Emirates Great Britain SailGP team is back in action in New York following a win at the inaugural ROCKWOOL Canada Sail Grand Prix earlier this month. Emirates GBR driver Giles Scott secured his first win in Halifax after taking over from Sir Ben Ainslie in January.

The Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix begins tomorrow (Saturday 22 June) and is the penultimate stop of Season 4 before the all-out Grand Final in San Francisco (13-14 July). The fast-paced and exciting racing action takes place just metres from the Governors Island waterfront, against the iconic New York skyline. Scott said his team was “very positive” after their win in Canada and “hope we can do it again this weekend”.

Scott added: “It’s fantastic to be here in New York. The circuit looks great and offers some impressive views of the city. The weather forecast for the weekend looks pretty treacherous with a few thunderstorms expected. It’s nice to come here after a good event in Canada where the team did a great job in difficult conditions. We’ve worked hard and performed well so we’re excited to go one step further in New York and hopefully get a good result.”

Sir Ben Ainslie, CEO of Emirates GBR, said the team had delivered a “truly impressive performance” in Canada.

Ainslie said: “Looking back at previous events, such as Bermuda, where the team struggled to get off the start line in that lighter wind, Halifax was a massive step forward and a real team effort. It will be great if they can build on that hopefully in New York and San Francisco.”

While SailGP athletes are used to flying high above the water in their F50 racing boats, they flew high above New York City on Friday morning, with a photo shoot on the Edge Observation Deck. Located on the 100th floor of 30 Hudson Yards, Edge is the highest outdoor skydeck in the Western Hemisphere, featuring a glass floor and 360-degree views of the city.

Once back on ground level, all 10 teams took to the water for practice racing in New York Harbor on Friday. Official racing starts on Saturday from 9.30pm BST. Viewers in the UK can follow all the action live on ITVX, YouTube and the Sail-World.com and YachtsandYachting.com websites.