Dylan Fletcher race ready for his return to SailGP in Dubai
by Emirates GBR SailGP Team 22 Nov 2024 06:57 PST
23-24 November 2024
Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix Team for the Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix presented by P&O Marinas in Dubai, UAE © Emirates
Dylan Fletcher is race ready for his return to SailGP, after taking on the Driver role for Ben Ainslie's Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix Team. Fletcher, who previously drove for the British team in the League's first ever season, will take the wheel of the F50 once again at the debut event of the 2025 Season this weekend, the Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix presented by P&O Marinas on 23-24 November.
Speaking at the press conference ahead of the season opener, Fletcher said: "I'm absolutely fizzing to be back in SailGP. I know the performance level has got a lot higher since Season 1, but I've got a great team pushing me on so I'm excited to get racing. It's a long season ahead and ultimately it's about getting into that Grand Final in Abu Dhabi next November. I know I have a lot to learn but I'm ready for the challenge and can't wait to get going."
The Olympic gold medallist, Moth World Champion and America's Cup Helm is joined on-board the Emirates GBR foiling 50-foot catamaran by some of the world's best sailors, including Olympic gold medallists Hannah Mills and Iain Jensen and three-time America's Cup athletes Neil Hunter, Nick Hutton and Luke Parkinson. Kai Hockley completes the squad as a development sailor. The 19-year-old from Tottenham, London, joined the sailing squad on the F50 for training sessions this week in the Grinder position. It was his first time on the race boat after spending the last nine months learning the ropes as part of the SailGP and INEOS Britannia shore teams. He will now combine the on-shore role with an on-the-water development pathway with the aim to race on the F50.
The 2025 Season is the most expansive to date, with new teams, new events, new partners and new broadcasters. SailGP announced earlier today that TNT Sports is the new exclusive broadcaster of the global racing championship in the UK and Ireland. As well as a new broadcaster, SailGP has also announced Rolex as its first title partner for the elite sail racing competition, now known as the Rolex SailGP Championship.
TNT Sports will provide live coverage of all events in the 2025 Season on its TV channels and its streaming platform discovery+. This will include the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix | Portsmouth on July 19-20, 2025 - SailGP's first event in the UK in three years.
Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team CEO Sir Ben Ainslie said: "We are delighted that TNT Sports will be the new exclusive home of SailGP in the UK. It's great to have a broadcast platform on-board for the 2025 Season, which will have more teams, events and action than ever before. We can't wait to begin this weekend with our home-from-home event, the Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix, and of course our return to the UK for the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix in Portsmouth next year."
UK viewers can watch all the action from the Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix presented by P&O Marinas live on TNT Sports from 10:00 GMT this Saturday and Sunday.