Blistering Black Foils: New Zealand sits in first at Rolex Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix
by SailGP 16 Mar 12:52 AEDT
March 15-16, 2025
New Zealand sits first on the event leaderboard with 31 points, winning two of four fleet races on the opening day of the Rolex Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix. Northstar Canada and Australia are close behind with 28 points and 27 points, respectively.
Sold-out crowds enjoyed the spectacle on a sunny, breezy day with gusts up to 35 km/h (22 mph). The packed grandstands cheered loudly for the U.S. SailGP Team, who kicked off the first of three home events with a solid series of mid-fleet results, finishing day one in seventh overall.
The Rolex SailGP Championship once again adopted a 'Super Saturday' format - four fleet races with all 12 international teams competing for the very first time. Fleet races 1 and 2 went the way of the Black Foils, shaking off a couple of disappointing events 'Down Under' for the usually dominant Kiwi crew.
"It was an awesome day for us - first to mark one in three races, plus two race wins so we're very happy overall," said New Zealand driver Peter Burling. He continued: "There's definitely some things to improve on tomorrow, but we'll come out fighting and push to make the final."
Fleet race 3 looked like it might be an inaugural victory for Mubadala Brazil and driver Martine Grael, but it wasn't to be - with three-time SailGP champions Australia overtaking on the final race mark to steal the win on an exceptionally tight racetrack. Australia driver Tom Slingsby said: "That finish with Brazil - we only had half a meter on each side. It was exciting for the fans I'm sure - but scary for us!"
Tom Slingsby wasn't alone in his slingshot move - soon after, the U.S. SailGP Team pipped northern rivals Canada to finish fourth in a move U.S. driver Taylor Canfield called "pretty hectic." Canfield reflected on the day, continuing: "There's no better feeling in the world than to represent your country at a home event. It's incredible to see people pumped about coming to a SailGP event. We're so excited about it, and hope we keep growing our sport. We keep building our team, and I know we have a lot more to come."
The fourth and final fleet race went the way of the French, proudly representing not only new investor Kylian Mbappé, but new team partner, L'Oréal. Les Bleus rounded out day one in fourth overall, right in the hunt heading into championship Sunday. It was a disappointing opening day for ROCKWOOL Denmark, ruled out of the competition due to significant damage after hitting a mark in fleet race 1. The team was awarded a 12 event-point penalty - the extent of damage to the team's F50 is currently under way.
The Rolex Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix returns tomorrow, with racing under way at 2:00 p.m. local time. A handful of tickets remain, available for purchase at SailGP.com/Tickets.