Sail GP: New Zealand Recap

Jan 23, 2025

Our Man at Sail GP, Mike Smith, sends his thoughts on the racing from Auckland  – click here  

19 January 2025 – The ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix delivered stadium racing at is best with over 25,000 spectators in the sold out grandstands, rivaling only Halifax for fan attendance.

Gusty conditions and the 24m wings, meant that it was all on for the 11 national teams as they lined up in four fleet races on the Waitematā Harbour .  Canada’s NorthStar SailGP Team finished the Day 1 in 8th overall, having placed 9th, 3rd, 7th and 6th respectively.

With three fleet races scheduled for Super Sunday and gusts up to 35 km/hr, the teams were ready to put the new, high-speed titanium T-Foils to the test.

They get massive crowds for Sail GP in NZ

Just ahead of the start of race 5, flight controller Billy Gooderham sustained an injury onboard during a maneuver.  Billy was taken off the F50 for assessment by the medics and is currently completing a round of x-rays at the hospital.  

The NorthStar SailGP Team did not compete in Sunday’s racing, yet placed 10th overall, one point ahead of the U.S. SailGP Team.

Canada NorthStar SailGP Team helmed by Giles Scott in action against the city skyline during a practice session ahead of The Rolex SailGP 2025 Championship ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix in Auckland, New Zealand. Thursday 16 January 2025. Photo: Ricardo Pinto for SailGP. Handout image supplied by SailGP

“We had four solid days of practice here in Auckland and the team is coming together well.  Obviously, this is not the result that we had hoped for in our second event, but the well-being of our team members is our top priority.  Billy took a big wall of water on that touch down, but he is in good spirits and we are optimistic that he will make a full recovery, “said Phil Kennard, CEO and Team Principal. From New Zealand, the fleet heads the next event of the Rolex SailGP Championship in Sydney, the Australia Sail Grand Prix on 8-9 February.

EVENT RESULTS ITM NEW ZEALAND SAIL GRAND PRIX | AUCKLAND
1 // Australia 10 points
2 // Spain 9 points
3 // Emirates Great Britain 8 points
4 // New Zealand 7 points
5 // ROCKWOOL Denmark 6 points
6 // Red Bull Italy 5 points
7 // Switzerland 4 points
8 // Germany SailGP Team presented by Deutsche Bank 3 points
9 // Mubadala Brazil 2 points
10 // Canada 1 point
11 // USA 0 season points accrued for 11th
** France to be awarded 5 points after missing the Auckland event due to no fault of its own

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