Spithill sets sights on SailGP's Singapore debut
by Laura Muma 13 Jan 2023 00:30 GMT
January 14-15, 2023
All eyes are on the United States SailGP Team who find themselves in a tenuous "make or break" position in the overall standings ahead of the inaugural Singapore Sail Grand Prix. Driver and CEO Jimmy Spithill said the team's plan this weekend is to "keep our heads down, keep fighting, stay clear of the carnage, and climb up the leaderboard".
For Singapore, there are three updates to the U.S. SailGP Team roster: Rome Kirby, CJ Perez and Peter Kinney will be racing with the team as Flight Controller, Strategist and Grinder, respectively.
"At the beginning of Season 3 we made the strategic decision to add depth to our roster," said Spithill. "With the conflict this week of the US Sailing Olympic Trials, of which Hans [Henken] and Erika [Reineke] are focused on, the deeper bench puts us in a strong position to rotate in other high level athletes from our team."
This will be Kirby's first time racing this season, but he's been an active teammate behind the scenes throughout the season. CJ Perez returns to the Strategist role, a position she's fulfilled multiple times throughout Season 2 and 3.
Multihull sailor Peter Kinney, who has raced with the American team previously, will also be trialing with the team this weekend as a grinder.
This is the first time the league has raced in Singapore, a landmark moment for the growing league as it joins the ranks of Formula 1 and other major properties visiting the Republic.
"It's an exciting venue," Spithill said. "With the League's first time here, no team has a 'hometown' advantage, making our practice days really important to learn as much local knowledge as we can to prepare for this weekend."
Coming into Singapore, the U.S. SailGP Team is currently in seventh place, 11 points shy from qualifying for the Grand Final in San Francisco (May 6 - 7, 2023). Including Singapore, four events remain in Season 3 for the team to capitalize on securing the needed points.