Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team prepares for action in Saint-Tropez
by Emirates GBR SailGP Team 8 Sep 2023 18:11 BST
9-10 September 2023
Ben Ainslie, driver of Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team, speaks to the media in a pre-event press conference ahead of the France Sail Grand Prix in Saint-Tropez © Ricardo Pinto for SailGP
The Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team is ready and raring for action ahead of the France Sail Grand Prix this weekend. The two-day spectacle will take place in the iconic town of Saint-Tropez on the 9 and 10 September, kicking off the European leg of the Season 4 calendar.
Emirates GBR currently sits in sixth position on the Championship leaderboard after what was a tough last day of racing at the previous event in Los Angeles. Following the event, Emirates GBR CEO and Driver Sir Ben Ainslie said the Team would continue working hard through the August break and come back stronger in Saint-Tropez.
Emirates GBR is excited to get back out on the Côte d'Azur waters, where last year there were wind gusts of 55km/h (29kts) recorded on Race Day 1. It was one of the breeziest days ever experienced on a SailGP racetrack, and led to Emirates GBR creating a new SailGP speed record of 99.02km/h in the first race, before France went on to record a speed of 99.94km/h in the third race. Sir Ben Ainslie said it was "some of the best racing I've ever taken part in" and that driving the F50 felt like "being in a rocket re-entering the earth's atmosphere". The Emirates GBR Team will be hoping for similar conditions to set more, hopefully longer lasting, records in Saint-Tropez this weekend.
Despite the August break, the Emirates GBR Team has been keeping busy, with Strategist Hannah Mills and Grinder Matt Gotrel taking a trip to Central London to witness SailGP and the Emirates GBR F50 take over the huge 3D digital billboard in Piccadilly Circus. Mills and Gotrel witnessed the F50 appear to jump out of the giant screen as they wowed passers-by in their full sailing kit.
Speaking at the screening last week, Gotrel said: "We're buzzing to get back out to Saint-Tropez. We had a great event there last year, it was pretty action-packed, so we are hoping for more of the same this year. With Saint-Tropez, it's all or nothing and last year the first day was epic, it's probably one of my favourite days sailing on these boats. It's a great place to go racing and it's always close racing in these boats so we will be ready for whatever it throws at us."
UK-based fans will be able to follow all the action live on ITVX. from 12:30 BST on Saturday and Sunday. Two highlights shows will also be available, with the first on ITV1 at 00:30 on Saturday 16 September and the second on ITV4 at 10:30 on Sunday 17 September.