Emirates GBR runners-up in Dubai on Driver Dylan Fletcher's debut event
by Emirates GBR SailGP Team 24 Nov 2024 09:06 PST
23-24 November 2024
In his first event as Driver of the Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team, Dylan Fletcher has steered the team to a second place finish. The British crew battled New Zealand and the United States in the winner-takes-all podium final of the debut of the SailGP 2025 Season, the Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix presented by P&O Marinas. The nail-biting race saw each of the three teams take the lead at different stages, with New Zealand eventually coming out on top.
Emirates GBR Driver Dylan Fletcher said: "It was a good first event for the team here in Dubai. It was great to get into the final and we gave it everything we had. At one point we thought we had done enough to take the Kiwis, but they did a good job to find some pressure and get ahead. All in all it was a solid first event and I'm very thankful for the team getting me around the race course and making it easy for me."
Emirates GBR entered race day two on Sunday in third place after securing a result of 5-8-2 in the three fleet races on Saturday. Two further fleet races took place on Sunday, with the top three teams across the five races then progressing to the event final. Emirates GBR placed third in both races and secured their place in the final.
The fourth race saw Emirates GBR cross the start line in a mid-fleet position, but the crew managed to make gains on the course to progress to third in leg four and keep the position until the finish. In the fifth fleet race, Emirates GBR needed to finish ahead of last season's champions, Spain, to secure their spot in the podium final. The Brits came in third while Spain finished fifth, with Denmark taking the win and underdogs USA crossing the line in second place.
When the three-boat final got under way, New Zealand executed a perfect start to streak ahead, but the race was far from won - with multiple lead changes to come. The teams split the course at gate two, with the Brits and Kiwis taking the left side and the United States claiming the right. The move paid off for the Americans, who managed to rise onto the foils and take the lead on the third leg.
Shifty conditions continued to play havoc with teams' strategies, with all three teams jostling for position at the third gate. A boundary penalty proved costly for the Americans, who were forced to drop 60m behind Emirates GBR, who then took the lead. New Zealand then came back fighting, diving inside Emirates GBR at the fourth gate to take the lead and manoeuvre away in a move green flagged by the umpires, that could have gone either way. From there, the Kiwis stretched ahead, finding clear space and clean air away from Emirates GBR and the United States to cross the line in first.
A dramatic last-minute incident unfolded at the final gate, when the United States attempted to dive inside the British at the mark rounding to claim second, but the move earned the team a penalty, handing second place back to Emirates GBR, with the Americans taking third overall.
Emirates GBR Strategist Hannah Mills said: "It was tough racing out there with it being really tricky to stay up on the foils in the lighter conditions. Dylan did an awesome job, as did the rest of the team, with managing that and coming out in second. It's been awesome working with Dylan and having him on-board, there's definitely more to come and everyone is really excited."
The second event of the Rolex SailGP Championship's 2025 Season takes place in Auckland, New Zealand, on 18-19 January. The area is notorious for big winds and with 12 teams on the start line with the new high-speed T-Foils introduced, it's set to be an action-packed weekend of racing.