Australia on the hunt for first Season Four win in Cadiz
by Australia SailGP Team 14 Oct 2023 11:48 PDT
14-15 October 2023
Australia SailGP Team helmed by Tom Slingsby on Race Day 1 of the Spain Sail Grand Prix in Cadiz, Spain © Ricardo Pinto for SailGP
Slingby's crew sit in pole position after first day of Spain Sail Grand Prix
After an exhilarating first day of racing at the Spain Sail Grand Prix, Tom Slingsby and the Australia SailGP Team are in hot pursuit of their first win in Season 4, finishing the first day of racing in pole position.
The Aussies were able to navigate through the racetrack better than its top rivals like Great Britain and New Zealand, securing a 5-2-1 finish. Slingsby's crew sit in top position ahead of Denmark and Spain in second and third place.
Tom Slingsby said: "We're stoked with today and it's definitely a confidence booster going into tomorrow, considering we are expecting similar light air conditions."
Despite not yet winning an event this season, The Flying Roos currently sit at the top of the Season 4 Championship leaderboard with 35 points. The team's last event win came in San Francisco in May, when they scooped the overall Season 3 Championship title. Slingsby commented that the team needed a win in Spain to regain their 'winning confidence.'
Tom Slingsby said: "It's been quite frustrating. Although we have been consistent and sailed well we haven't managed to get a win this season. I've got to do everything I can to secure this win for the team."
This year's Spain Sail Grand Prix also marks the second anniversary of SailGP's Women's Pathway Programme and having female athletes onboard the F50s.
Nina Curtis, who was the first female to race on board the Australia F50 said "It's amazing to see how much the program has developed in two years and the role it has played in inspiring young female sailors across Australia. It's a pretty special moment for me to be back racing here with the team, and now having my own daughter Dylan watch on!"
The competition tomorrow promises to be fierce, with the world's top sailing teams vying for glory in the picturesque waters of Cadiz. Racing will recommence on Monday 16 October at 12:30AM AEST, where the champion of the Spain Sail Grand Prix Prix will be crowned. Australians can tune in live to watch the action on Fox Sports and Kayo Sports.