US SailGP Team heroics keep finals berth in play at ROCKWOOL Denmark Sail Grand Prix day 1
by US SailGP Team 20 Aug 2021 17:37 BST
20-22 August 2021
USA SailGP Team helmed by Jimmy Spithill in action on Race Day 1 at Denmark SailGP, © Ian Roman/SailGP
The United States SailGP Team sits in prime position to challenge for its third consecutive podium final berth despite the last minute injury to Wing Trimmer Paul Campbell-James at the ROCKWOOL Denmark Sail Grand Prix.
Campbell-James is currently recovering after breaking his leg during official practice yesterday and has been ruled out for racing at the Danish event.
Interim Wing Trimmer Jason Saunders - who was flown in last night - filled in for Campbell-James, competing as a temporary replacement in his first event with the American team.
Despite a steep learning curve, Driver Jimmy Spithill, Saunders and the rest of the team fought through the adversity, evolving their techniques and coordination throughout the day to end at third place in the overall standings.
The team's performance was punctuated by a dominant win in Race 2 followed by a come-from-behind performance in Race 3 that saw the team climb through the fleet after a last place start, squeezing under the France SailGP Team into third at the final mark of the day.
Spithill: "[Jason] was impressive. He came in last night, jumped in with no training, no practice and slotted in nicely. Quite a difficult race track, it was a minefield and everyone had an opportunity but it made for exciting racing."
With a grin, Spithill concluded: "Each race we're getting stronger and we'll see how we stand tomorrow. We're going to have some fun."
Though tied with the New Zealand SailGP Team on points at the end of racing, a late review by the umpires of a collision between New Zealand and France resulted in additional penalty points being applied that adjusted the standings, pushing the USA onto the podium as it stands.
SailGP rules allow only the top three teams after qualifying to advance to the podium final race, to be held at the end of the final day of racing tomorrow.
The ROCKWOOL Denmark Sail Grand Prix | Aarhus will air live on CBS Sports Network tomorrow, Saturday, July 21st at 7:00am EDT. Free live streaming coverage of the racing will also be available on the SailGP APP and YouTube channels.
For more information on the full Season 2 calendar as well as the US SailGP Team visit sailgp.com
Current Standings after day 1:
1. Australia SailGP Team - 18 pts
2. Great Britain SailGP Team - 17 pts
3. United States SailGP Team - 16 pts
4. Denmark SailGP Team - 15 pts
5. New Zealand SailGP Team - 14 pts
6. Japan SailGP Team - 13 pts
7. France SailGP Team - 6 pts
8. Spain SailGP Team - 0 pts (DNS)