Emirates GBR SailGP Team preparing to defend top spot at back-to-back US events
by Emirates GBR SailGP Team 15 Mar 06:22 GMT
15-16 & 22-23 March 2025
Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team and ROCKWOOL Denmark SailGP Team ahead of Australia SailGP Team, New Zealand SailGP Team & Switzerland SailGP Team during a practice session ahead of the Rolex Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix © Ricardo Pinto for SailGP
The Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team is preparing to defend its top spot on the championship leaderboard at the fourth event of the 2025 Season, the Rolex Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix. The LA event takes place on the 15-16 March and marks the first of two back-to-back events in the US, with the 12 teams then competing in San Francisco on 22-23 March.
Located on the Port of Los Angeles, the racecourse is one of the tightest on the 2025 Season calendar, promising fast and furious racing. It will also be the first time 12 boats have competed together, after France missed the first two events as they awaited the arrival of their new F50 and then the USA team was ruled out of the Sydney event after damaging their wing in practice.
Coming off the back of a win in Sydney last month and two podium finishes in Auckland and Dubai, Emirates GBR is in a strong position, leading the championship on 27 points, while Australia is in second on 24 and Spain in third on 20. The team's run of impressive results follows Dylan Fletcher's reinstatement as Driver - he previously held the role in Season 1 before Emirates GBR CEO Sir Ben Ainslie replaced him in Season 2.
Speaking at the pre-event press conference, Fletcher said: "This is a critical weekend for us here in LA, we're coming off the back of a win in Sydney and leading the overall season so the plan is to have a solid performance to keep us in good stead. The winds look like they're going to be pumping at the weekend so it's going to be action-packed racing and really tight on that course. With the boats reaching speeds of 100kmh we just need to hopefully keep it clean and try and get another podium. All teams are pushing hard coming into this double header so we're really excited to get out there and compete against the best sailors in the world."
Before the press conference got under way, France SailGP Team Driver Quentin Delapierre joined SailGP CEO Russell Coutts on stage to announce that French football superstar Kylian Mbappé had become an investor in the team and that his 'Inspired by KM' (IBKM) association will become the team's official charity partner - broadening the foundation's global reach and inspiring young people through the power of sport.
Celebrating the news, Kylian Mbappé said, "We are excited to be on board with this new adventure with the France SailGP Team, alongside Accor and other investors. I'm also proud that IBKM has the opportunity to engage more young people around the world through this relationship."
The crew remains unchanged from Emirates GBR's winning line-up in Sydney, with four Olympic gold medallists in the squad: Fletcher as Driver, Hannah Mills as Strategist, Iain Jensen as Wing Trimmer and Ellie Aldridge as Reserve Strategist. The dynamic duo of Neil Hunter and Nick Hutton will be back on the grinding handles providing the power to the F50, while Luke Parkinson will be in charge of keeping the boat flying above the water. Finn World Cup winner Ben Cornish returns to his dual role as Reserve Grinder and Performance Analyst, supporting Coach Rob Wilson alongside the Athena Pathway Youth America's Cup Helm Nick Robins. London teenager and Youth Sport Trust's Young Sportsperson of the Year Kai Hockley will once again be with the team as he progresses through his development programme, gaining experience both on and off the water.?
While the team is battling to remain on the top spot of the championship leaderboard, it is also fighting to retain the Impact League title after being crowned winners of SailGP's initiative which rewards teams for their positive environmental and social actions last season. On Thursday, the team hosted an event in collaboration with the British government's GREAT Campaign on climate technology, sustainability and the power of sport. British Consul General Paul Rennie hosted the panel which included Emirates GBR athletes Dylan Fletcher and Hannah Mills alongside President and CEO of Heal the Bay, Tracy Quinn, and Bob Kane, Advisor at Point Break Advisory and former CEO, COO, and CLO of the World Surf League and Kelly Slater Wave Company.