Up to 20,000 fans are expected as Portsmouth gets set to host SailGP racing for the first time this weekend with the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix.
While the venue is new, the return to England holds fond memories for the Black Foils after the team picked up their first ever SailGP win at the previous event held in England at Plymouth in 2022.
The Black Foils enter the weekend in third place on the Rolex SailGP Championship ladder with just two points separating the top three teams. Winners of the previous event Spain lead the way on 46 points with Australia’s Bonds Flying Roos one point back in second. Spain’s win in New York last month made them the first team to two Grand Prix wins this season.
Tomorrow’s racing on England’s South Coast will mark the start of the second half of the season and a run of five events in Europe before November’s Grand Final in Abu Dhabi.
Black Foils Co-CEO and Driver Pete Burling said after making two out of three finals during the US leg of the championship the team were excited to carry momentum into the second half of the season.
“It was really pleasing to build momentum through the US legs with two finals and going close in San Francisco. We’ve still got a focus on improving as much as we can between events and really using that time to get better as individuals and as a team. As a new group this season we know we always have more to work on and that’s really motivating.”
“One thing the SailGP format has told you is that if you don’t keep improving and getting better you’re going to get left behind. To win it you’ve got to make the top three and make the final so it’s all about making sure you do that and I’m sure it’s going to be super tight right up to Abu Dhabi.”
Light winds meant there was limited training time or practice racing on Friday and Burling said switching into race mode as quickly as possible and making use of warm-up time would be vital on Saturday.
“As a team we pride ourselves on adapting quickly and that will be essential tomorrow after some disruptions today. There’s more wind in the forecast tomorrow and hopefully the issues with our wing screen can be resolved overnight so that our sole focus can be on racing.”
The Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix begins tomorrow Saturday 19 July 2025, with racing starting at 4-00pm local time (Sunday 3-00am in NZ).
