Emirates GBR wins KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix in Sydney
by Emirates GBR SailGP Team 9 Feb 02:06 PST
8-9 February 2025
Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team celebrate winning the KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix in Sydney, Australia © Jason Ludlow for SailGP
The Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team has claimed its first win of the 2025 Season at the KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix. The British crew, driven by Dylan Fletcher, clinched the win in a nail-biting final against home favourites Australia and the NorthStar Canada SailGP Team, led by former Emirates GBR Driver Giles Scott.
Fletcher took over the Driver role for the start of the 2025 Season and the team has secured podium finishes at all three events - second in Dubai, third in Auckland and now the all-important win in Sydney. The result means Emirates GBR cements its place at the top of the 2025 Season leaderboard heading into the US leg next month.
Emirates GBR Driver Dylan Fletcher said: "I'm absolutely buzzing to get the win here in Sydney. It's our first win of the season but we've had three events and three podium finishes so we've shown we are in a strong place going forward. We know we can't count our chickens though, we need to keep working hard and delivering, but this is a great result for the team and I'm really proud of how everyone performed. It was amazing racing on Sydney Harbour and the crowds were epic. We can't wait to get back racing in the US leg next month."
Emirates GBR entered into the three-boat event final after securing four top three finishes in the seven fleet races across the weekend. The fiercely contested three-boat final included lead changes throughout and saw Emirates GBR fight off tough competition from NorthStar Canada and Tom Slingsby's Australia to cross the line with a six-second lead over the Canadians in second.
Emirates GBR CEO Sir Ben Ainslie, who is in Sydney for the event, said: "What an amazing race! I'm so proud of the team. It's only Dylan's third event with the team and he's done brilliantly. He's world-class and that's why we wanted to get him in this game. He's got a top team around him and it's impressive to see how quickly they have all gelled as a crew."
The winner-takes-all final was packed with drama from the start, with Australia receiving a penalty for pushing NorthStar Canada wide to fall off the foils in an attempt to dominate the start. Keeping clear of the drama, Emirates GBR managed to lead at the first mark but Canada spotted a wind shift on the course and cruised into first position on the second leg. The Brits continued pushing hard to break down the Canadians 300m lead and after choosing to split the course at the fifth mark, Emirates GBR had the better breeze and stole the lead back. It was then an extremely close race to the finish line but the Brits managed to keep the Canadians behind to nail the win. As well as the victory, Emirates GBR also recorded the fastest speed of the day - 93.54km/h and managed a 100% foiling rate in the final.
Emirates GBR Strategist Hannah Mills said: "The whole team is buzzing after that. To get into three finals and to come away with the win in the third one is such an amazing feeling. It was a full on race where we thought we had lost it but then we dug in really hard to pull it back right at the end and overtake the Canadians. It's been an awesome event here in Sydney and everyone is really settling into their roles and we are learning more as a team so we just can't wait to get back out racing at the next one."
Next up, the 12-team F50 fleet travels to the United States for an American double header; the Oracle Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix takes place on March 15-16 followed by the Oracle San Francisco Sail Grand Prix on March 22-23.