Emirates GBR looking to bounce back at the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix this weekend
by Emirates GBR SailGP Team 7 Jun 03:30 AEST
Emirates GBR during training in New York © Emirates GBR
Emirates GBR Driver Dylan Fletcher said the team was "looking to bounce back" at the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix this weekend, following a "tough time" at the back-to-back US events in LA and San Francisco in March.
The Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix on 7/8 June marks the sixth stop on the 2025 Season calendar, and Emirates GBR currently sits second on the Championship leaderboard. The Brits are just one point behind Australia's BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team, which announced its new Co-Owners yesterday - Hollywood stars Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds.
Emirates GBR was top of the leaderboard heading into the LA and San Francisco double header, but after finishing fourth and seventh at the two events, the team were knocked off the top spot by Tom Slingsby's crew. The Brits have been eager to get back racing after the Rio SailGP was cancelled to facilitate wing repairs following Australia's dramatic wing collapse in the final stages of fleet racing in San Francisco.
The Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix is the perfect return to racing for all 12 SailGP Teams, promising a weekend of high-speed, close-to-shore racing in front of the most famous skyline in the world.
Speaking ahead of the event, Emirates GBR Driver Dylan Fletcher said: "We had a tough time in San Francisco, so we're looking to bounce back from that and solidify our place in the top three on the leaderboard here in New York. The conditions will be quite challenging in terms of the changeable nature, we've seen there's a lot of current here on the river with the Hudson and the wind can also whip through the skyscrapers."
Fletcher said he was hoping this weekend would go "slightly better" than his previous SailGP experience of racing in New York, when he was Driver for the British team back in the first ever season of SailGP.
"In Season 1 we managed to put the boat in the tide and capsize just before the start of the race, having said our main aim was to race clean and protect the boat - so hopefully this weekend goes slightly better than that one," he said.
Although the Emirates GBR SailGP Team are 3,500 miles from home, they have an army of Brits supporting them this weekend, including the British Consul General in New York and HM Trade Commissioner for North America, Oliver Christian. On Thursday evening, Emirates GBR hosted an event with the British Government's GREAT Campaign at the British Residence in New York, to showcase the power of sport to guests from the world of sustainability, technology, innovation and media.
With five different winners at the first five events of the 2025 Season, the competition on the water is tighter than ever. Will New Zealand, Australia, Emirates GBR, NorthStar Canada or Spain be the first to claim two victories, or will there be a sixth team added to the winners list? Find out this weekend by watching the action live on TNT Sports from 20:30 BST on Saturday and Sunday.