Please select your home edition
Edition
Zhik 2024 December

United States and Japan dominate opening day of Italy Sail Grand Prix in Taranto

by SailGP 5 Jun 2021 11:08 PDT 5-6 June 2021

Light winds called for a reduction in crew members - a true test of sailing showmanship

Hundreds of on-water spectators and a packed shoreline witnessed the return of Jimmy Spithill's United States SailGP Team and Nathan Outteridge's Japan SailGP Team as they dominated the opening day of the Italy Sail Grand Prix in the vibrant Southern Italy city of Taranto, finishing on even points at the top of the leaderboard.

Due to lighter conditions on the Mar Grande, it was decided ahead of racing that each boat would feature just three crew onboard, while the course was also moved further away from shore to help achieve better winds.

Following a devastating Season 2 opener in Bermuda for both the U.S. and Japan teams, and despite the reduction in the number of crew onboard, both teams came out in full form for the first day of racing in Taranto. Spithill's U.S. team won the first and third race - with Japan securing a single victory in the second race - ending the day with 21 points.

Spithill said: "When you are sailing three-up, you've got all the jobs of five crew members going essentially to two guys, as the driver doesn't do a whole lot else. So full credit to CJ [Paul Campbell-James] and Rome [Kirby] today. We were just trying to stay clean and get away from the pack behind us. The main thing is we finished all three races and that's a good feeling."

Despite Outteridge's team tying up the points, Spithill topped the leaderboard as the better placed team following its tactical performance in the final race of the day.

Outteridge said: "We made a few mistakes in the first race, but the second one was well sailed. It is really hard with three people onboard; there was a lot of multi-tasking onboard today and it was a great job by Chris [Draper] and Tim [Morishima] picking the wind and executing some maneuvers. I'm very happy with how the day has gone."

Phil Robertson's Spain SailGP Team rounded out the top three positions to show fans that it has every intention of making its mark as one of the newest teams in the league.

The day was not so successful for Tom Slingsby's Australia team. The SailGP Season 1 Champions experienced hydraulic issues during the first race, causing a constant decline in performance which saw them come to a complete stop and unable to finish the race. A sixth and a last place to follow saw them end the day bottom of the leaderboard.

Elsewhere on the packed shoreline racecourse, there were mixed performances by the replacement drivers - Arnaud Psarofaghis in charge of the New Zealand boat and Paul Goodison at the wheel of the Great Britain SailGP Team. Psarofaghis, replacing Peter Burling due to his Olympic commitments, secured third, sixth and fifth placed finishes. Meanwhile, Goodison - who won the opening event of Season 2 under permanent driver Ben Ainslie - guided the Brits to sixth, fourth and seventh in the race rankings.

The Kiwis and Brits remain within touching distance of qualifying for Sunday's three boat, winner-takes-all final in Taranto, as both teams sit tied on six points behind third place Spain at the end of play.

Racing gets under way on the concluding day of the Italy Sail Grand Prix in Taranto at 1.30 p.m. local and is live on Sky Italia and via Rai Sport. Fans around the world can find out how to watch via SailGP.com/Watch as well as download the award winning, free SailGP APP for all the race data and view from the onboard cameras. Limited tickets are available via SailGP.com/Taranto.

Italy Sail Grand Prix | Taranto Leaderboard // after 3 races:

1 // United States // 21 pts
2 // Japan // 21 pts
3 // Spain // 17 pts
4 // France // 13 pts
5 // Great Britain // 11 pts
6 // New Zealand // 11 pts
7 // Denmark // 9 pts
8 // Australia // 5 pts

Related Articles

SailGP: Brits win French event
Day 2 of the Sail Grand Prix in Saint-Tropez has been cancelled due to forecast thunderstorms Day 2 of the Rockwool France Sail Grand Prix in Saint-Tropez has been cancelled due to forecast thunderstorms expected to impact the area during scheduled racing. Posted on 13 Sep
ROCKWOOL France Sail Grand Prix Day 1
Fletcher flies high on turbulent first day Day one of the ROCKWOOL France Sail Grand Prix went the way of Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team as they topped the event leaderboard after the first four fleet races of the weekend in Saint-Tropez. Posted on 12 Sep
SailGP: Brits top leaderboard after Day 1
A squirrely 15-18kts breeze opened up plenty of opportunity for aggressive tactics. Emirates GBR topped the SailGP France leaderboard after the first day of racing in Saint Tropez. The squirrely 15-18kt breeze was distorted by the surrounding high terrain, channeling the pressure and direction, caused some dramatic switching of places. Posted on 12 Sep
Riviera racing: SailGP set for Saint-Tropez return
As league confirms 2026 expansion team plans The Rolex SailGP Championship returns tomorrow - and France's famous "Mistral [wind] has turned up just in time," according to league CEO Sir Russell Coutts. Twelve national teams will hit the startline for the sold-out event. Posted on 11 Sep
SailGP: Coutts updates on new teams
It has been a tumultuous year so far for SailGP. Russell Coutts outlines the plans for Season 6. Russell Coutts: Announcement on Team 13 for the SailGP League is pending. The second team will not start in Season 6, but will start in Season 7. A training facility will be set up for use of existing teams. Posted on 11 Sep
SailGP launches new rudders
And unveils further innovations ahead of Saint-Tropez event SailGP has today announced significant steps forward in technological innovation and fleet capability, with the launch of new rudders and plans for automated foil-protection software specifically for high speed, highly-loaded maneuvers. Posted on 10 Sep
SailGP Racing on the Edge Season 5 Episode 9
Germany find their spark in latest episode of Racing on the Edge After a disastrous start to their 2025 Season - seemingly-defined by an unprecedented 12-point penalty in Sydney - the Germany SailGP Team presented by Deutsche Bank have been fighting to prove themselves. Posted on 8 Sep
SailGP: Brazil and USA head for France
The damage incurred in SailGP Germany has been fully repaired for next weekend's event A big effort by the team at SailGP Technologies' facility in Southampton has seen the damage incurred in SailGP Germany fully repaired for next weekend's event in Saint-Tropez, France. Posted on 7 Sep
SailGP: Auckland event set to top 30,000 fans
Auckland likely to set new record of 30,000 fans but stalemate set to hit all Major Events. An extension to the grandstand at SailGP Auckland will help set new records. But a policy stalement between Auckland Council and the NZ Govt hangs over the 2027 hosting negotiations, and future international sporting events that could be hosted in NZ. Posted on 28 Aug
SailGP: The sky is the limit for Auckland
Auckland to set world record venue spectator audience at Rolex SailGP with 30% stand expansion SailGP Auckland will take place on Valentine's Weekend 2026 with a 30 percent increase in grandstand size to accommodate more than 10,000 fans daily in the purpose-built Race Stadium at Wynyard Point, alongside hospitality and other ticketed products. Posted on 24 Aug
RS Sailing 2021 - FOOTERLloyd Stevenson - Catalyst GT 1456x180px BOTTOMHenri-Lloyd Dynamic Range