Aussies miss out on Dubai Final dreams by one point as Kiwis take first event victory
by Australia SailGP Team 24 Nov 2024 09:37 PST
23-24 November 2024
Australia SailGP Team helmed by Tom Slingsby, ROCKWOOL Denmark SailGP Team helmed by Nicolai Sehested and Mubadala Brazil SailGP Team helmed by Martine Grael with the SailGP F50 catamaran fleet during practice ahead of the Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix © Simon Bruty for SailGP
Tom Slingby's Australia Team's hopes of making the Podium Final came crashing down, with the team missing out on making the final by one crucial point. The New Zealand Team were crowned the victors in a final against Emirates GBR (2nd) and United States (3rd).
The Australia Team was virtually guaranteed a spot in the Podium Final based on points, needing only a mid-fleet finish in the final qualifying fleet race of the day to secure their place.
As teams entered the pre-start box, Burling's New Zealand team saw an opportunity to box out the Australians at the start line, pushing them to the back of the pack before the first mark.
Slingsby commented on the team's bad start saying, "It's on me, I just didn't see the Kiwis coming in on the foil and by the time we reacted it was too late."
The Australians then faced an uphill battle to recover any position in the fleet with Slingsby explaining that they "just couldn't find any clear air and got caught up in little battles."
The team's hopes of making the final came down to the final minute of racing, needing to overtake Redbull Italy in a nail-biting sprint to the finish line to secure the one point required to make the final.
Slingsby said, "I knew exactly what we had to get to with points during the race. It was just there and we just lost by a boat length to the Italians, who we needed to overtake to get eighth place and that one point for the final."
Despite the disappointing finish, the Australians displayed strong form throughout the weekend, especially considering it was their first event of the season with new Wing Trimmer, Chris Draper.
Slingsby said, "We had four top-five results here and one bad race, so you have to look at the positives. We showed great glimpses of speed and Chris has been an awesome addition, we are definitely jelling well as a team."
Fans were also treated to a post-racing performance from American singer Craig David who played his biggest hits to close an action-packed race weekend.
The SailGP fleet now heads to the Asia Pacific region for the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix, scheduled for January 18-19, before returning to the iconic Sydney Harbour for the KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix on February 8-9, 2025. Fans can still secure tickets to cheer on Tom Slingsby and the Australia crew by visiting SailGP.com/Sydney.