Australia has taken a lead, on the day of Season 4 at the Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix putting them in a great position to secure their first win. With Jimmy Spithill as their driver the Australian team displayed performance at Mina Rashid winning two out of three races and maintaining overall consistency.
The second race was quite dramatic with penalties given to Germany and Canada for starts. Germany faced disqualification after receiving a flag for attempting to interrupt the start ultimately being overtaken by Sébastien Schneiters Switzerland. In contrast Australia led from beginning to end in the race securing a victory. New Zealand took place while Canada managed to overcome an eighth place challenge and finished third.
Jimmy Spithill, Australias driver expressed satisfaction with the teams performance. Highlighted their smooth sailing and effective navigation of the challenging racecourse. The third race brought excitement as France initially in the lead incurred penalties for pushing too hard and took a dramatic plunge into the water resulting in evasive action from Botíns Spain.
In a race, at their home event Emirates Great Britain clinched a victory after finishing fifth and seventh in the first two races.
Spain put on a performance to secure the spot while Australia maintained their consistency and finished in third place.
Sir Ben Ainslie, the skipper of Emirates Great Britain acknowledged the challenges they faced during the day. Emphasized the importance of starting at mark one. He highlighted that working as a team was crucial, in handling winds and maneuvering the boat effectively. Although New Zealand didn’t manage to secure a win their sixth, second and fourth place finishes placed them second on the leaderboard with 21 points tied with Canada.
Here are the current standings after the day of the Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix presented by P&O Marinas;
- Australia; 26 points
- New Zealand; 21 points
- Canada; 21 points
- Emirates GBR; 20 points
- France; 20 points
The day promises thrilling races as Super Sunday determines who will emerge as the overall winners. The event will continue on December 10th with coverage on Dubai Sports and global streaming on SailGP.com/watch. Limited tickets are also up for grabs for fans, in Dubai who want to experience all the action firsthand at SailGP.com/Dubai.
