Multiple winners on Day One of the Dubai Sail Grand Prix

SailGP lead — New Zealand, Australia and Canada in action as they sail closely past the Race Village on Race Day 1 of the Dubai SailGP on Saturday. Image Credit: Source: SailGP

Dubai: Australia are once again in the perfect position to claim their first win of Season 4 after a standout opening day under new driver Jimmy Spithill at the Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix presented by P&O Marinas. Racing at Mina Rashid, Australia were one of three separate race winners, alongside Canada and home team Emirates Great Britain but were also the most consistent to take a healthy overall lead.

Jimmy Spithill said: “It felt great. You can definitely see this is a benchmark team in the league. They are a very slick team. I am just trying to get in there and not make too many mistakes. It is a great group and a great atmosphere. I didn’t expect to be leading after how things went in practice. I had an absolute shocker and spent a fair bit of time last night going through and getting myself back up to speed again. I felt like we took some good steps today. Tomorrow will be a different day.”

SailGP second — The fleet in action on Day 1. Image Credit: Source: SailGP

Sir Ben Ainslie said: “It was a tricky day. The results were up and down. You’ve got to get out of mark one in decent shape, which we struggled to do in the first two races. We managed it in the last one and got a win ‒ that saved our day. We need two good races now to get into the podium race, which is always the case on Super Sunday. It is going to be about teamwork in light airs and keeping the boat moving.”

The final day of the Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix presented by P&O Marinas continues on December 10 at 2pm.