Please select your home edition
Edition
J Composites 2022 - J45 v4 LEADERBOARD

Aussies set for tight racing at first Middle East SailGP event

by Olivia Hogan / Australia SailGP Team 11 Nov 2022 19:57 GMT 12-13 November 2022
Australia SailGP Team helmed by Tom Slingsby and the fleet sail past the Burj Khalifa and Dubai skyline during a practice session ahead of the Dubai Sail Grand Prix presented by P&O Marinas in Dubai, United Arab Emirates © Ricardo Pinto for SailGP

"It will be exciting for you guys and scary for us!"

Tom Slingsby and the other SailGP drivers are expecting adrenaline fuelled racing and possible carnage after practising on the tight race track ahead of the first ever Dubai Sail Grand Prix presented by P&O Marinas this weekend.

In the press conference, Slingsby commented on the course saying, "It's very tight, and if we get a bit of breeze in this racecourse, which is expected on Sunday, it will be a handful. It will be exciting for you guys but it will be scary for us."

"It's your equivalent of a street track in F1 where whoever gets off cleanly and gets in front will be pretty hard to overtake", added Slingsby.

The current Championship leaderboard sees a condensed mid-fleet line up, with just 10 points separating Denmark in sixth and New Zealand in second. Two-timing defending champion Australia meanwhile remains in first place with 50 points.

Although the Australian's sit at the top of the leaderboard, the team's absence on the winners podium for the past four events hasn't gone unnoticed.

Slingsby defended his team's recent performance saying: "Nothing's been going wrong, it's just a testament to SailGP that it's just getting stronger and stronger. We're still improving and getting better all the time but the other teams have caught up."

"It is weird making the finals and not winning them because we have had a good run for a while but we're still really happy that we're at the top of the scoreboard", Slingsby added.

Racing takes place in Dubai between 22:00-23:30 AEDT today and Sunday. Australian fans can tune in live on Fox Sports and on Kayo in Australia to watch the racing. Kayo are offering fans free access to both the live and replay racing, via its Kayo Freebies offer.

Related Articles

Australia on hunt for first Season 4 win in Cadiz
Slingby's crew sit in pole position after first day of Spain Sail Grand Prix After an exhilarating first day of racing at the Spain Sail Grand Prix, Tom Slingsby and the Australia SailGP Team are in hot pursuit of their first win in Season 4, finishing the first day of racing in pole position. Posted on 14 Oct
Australia still on SailGP Season 4 pole position
Despite missing out on the win in Taranto A frustrating day saw Tom Slingsby's Australia team miss out on the win on Championship Sunday of the ROCKWOOL Italy Sail Grand Prix | Taranto despite securing its fourth final of Season 4 - with Emirates GBR taking home its second consecutive win. Posted on 24 Sep
Australia dominates opening day in Taranto
Two first place finishes at the ROCKWOOL Italy Sail Grand Prix Tom Slingsby's Australia team got off to a world class start in day 1 of the ROCKWOOL Italy Sail Grand Prix | Taranto in one of the windiest SailGP race days to date in Season 4 with an impressive 1-1-5 finish. Posted on 23 Sep
Aussies break Saint Tropez SailGP curse
Securing podium finish at the France Sail Grand Prix Tom Slingsby and his Australian crew have finally broken their 'Saint Tropez curse', securing second place at the France Sail Grand Prix in Saint Tropez. Posted on 10 Sep
Kiwis wing collapses in first day of St Tropez
Aussies show glimmer of hope to break the curse of St Tropez The Australians managed to finish the first day of racing at the France Sail Grand Prix in the middle of the pack, but it was the Kiwis who shocked fans worldwide with a dramatic incident taking place post racing. Posted on 9 Sep
It's all on for AUS and NZL at France SailGP
Tom Slingsby (AUS) throws jabs at Peter Burling (NZL) in St Tropez Australia's Tom Slingsby throws jabs at New Zealand Driver Peter Burling ahead of France Sail Grand Prix Showdown Posted on 8 Sep
Fairytale win for the Spanish team in Los Angeles
“I'm sure I'll calm down but right now it's pretty raw” Los Angeles hosted a fairytale ending for the Spain SailGP Team, who secured its first ever victory in SailGP against Australia and Denmark. Posted on 24 Jul
Aussies star of the show at LA SailGP
The Australians delivered a blockbuster worthy performance at the opening of season The Australians delivered a blockbuster worthy performance at the opening of the Oracle Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix, securing their seat at the top of the leaderboard. Posted on 23 Jul
Aussies gear up for high-stakes race at LA SailGP
SailGP's most challenging track in history awaits the ten competing national teams The anticipation is at an all-time high as Australia readies itself to fight for the inaugural Oracle Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix, commencing tomorrow. Posted on 22 Jul
Aussies on top Day One SailGP Chicago
The age-old rivalry between AUS and NZL has reignited on the waters of Lake Michigan The age-old rivalry between Australia and New Zealand has reignited on the waters of Lake Michigan as SailGP Season 4 commenced with an exhilarating first day of racing. Posted on 17 Jun