“The race is won and lost at the start" Team Australia at SailGP in Abu Dhabi
by Australia SailGP Team 13 Jan 15:09 PST
13-14 January 2024
The SailGP sail towards the start line on Race Day 1 of the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix presented by Abu Dhabi Sports Council in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. 13th January © Ricardo Pinto
Tom Slingsby faced formidable challenges upon his return to racing at the inaugural day of the Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix. Held on the iconic Mina Zayed, the Australians battled through light air conditions, a known Achilles' heel for Slingby’s crew.
The ten strong fleet had to navigate the intricate waters of Mina Zayed, where the unpredictable light winds posed a unique set of challenges. The combination of the race track format and light air created a slow motion dog fight at the start line, with the Australians struggling to gain an advantage and clean air from the teams.
The Australians found themselves finishing in 6th place overall after the series of three fleet races. However, the competition remains incredibly tight with only 5 points between the
Australians and Spain in first place, leaving the door open for a podium finish if the team can secure two strong race outcomes tomorrow.
Driver Tom Slingsby reflected on the day, emphasizing the critical role of the start line in determining success on this challenging course. He noted that due to the unique race course setup, overtaking opportunities were limited, making a strong start crucial for securing a win.
“It’s all about the starts, I mean look at Spain who were in last place in race one after a bad start and then won the last two races because they started well. I don’t like this type of race track because the race is won and lost at the start line and after that it’s just a parade with no overtaking lanes”, Slingsby said.
The Australia SailGP Team remains optimistic and determined, understanding that the leaderboard's closeness provides an opportunity for a strong comeback. As the team looks forward to the final day of racing, the athletes are hoping to mount a similar comeback to that of Dubai in Season 3, where the team went from 8th place in day one, to go onto win the podium final.
Tom Slingsby said, “Honestly point-wise we are in a much better position than they were in Dubai in Season 3, so we’ve still got a good chance of making the final. We need to have two good starts tomorrow to get into the podium final, and that will be my focus. We’ve got to look at the data and the onboard footage and figure out what we did poorly. We will learn from today and come back with a few ideas of how we can improve.”
Australian fans can tune in to watch the final day of racing in Abu Dhabi on Fox Sports and Kayo Sports Freebies, taking place on Sunday January 14 from 9pm AEDT.
Looking ahead to February, the Australia SailGP Team will return to home waters for the KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix I Sydney for a record fifth time on 24-25 February 2024. Tickets are selling fast for the not to be missed event of the Australian summer at SailGP.com/Sydney.