Sunday, January 26, 2025
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HomeRegattaSailGPAuckland Awaits: Kiwi Driver Peter Burling Previews the Action

Auckland Awaits: Kiwi Driver Peter Burling Previews the Action

A new season dawned in Dubai. Two new teams took to the water for the first time as the most expansive season got underway, with new venues ahead and a raft of F50 upgrades in the pipeline.

The season opener came off the back of a turbulent transfer season, which disrupted the long-time crew configurations of league heavyweights New Zealand and Australia. Wing trimmer Kyle Langford left the Aussies for Red Bull Italy, while the Kiwis lost long-time flight controller Andy Maloney to Mubadala Brazil. Maloney was swiftly replaced by Leo Takahashi, a former athlete for the now defunct Japanese team.

2025 Season // New Zealand crew hug and celebrate after winning in Dubai

This significant change to the established crew line-up saw the Kiwis temper their racing ambitions. “We go into any event putting our best foot forward,” driver Peter Burling says, “but in Dubai we had slightly different expectations because of the reshuffle.” However, when racing got underway, it was business as usual. The Black Foils topped the leaderboard on points after five fleet races and trounced Emirates GBR and the United States in the three boat Final to take the first event win.

2025 Season // New Zealand celebrates after winning Dubai

New Zealand’s best possible season start followed a glittering Season 4 performance and marked the Kiwis’ third consecutive win in the UAE after winning both Dubai and Abu Dhabi in Season 4. While the team lost out to underdogs Spain in San Francisco’s Grand Final, they racked up more wins than any other team last season, securing five event wins from seven Finals and replacing Australia as the most dominant force on the racecourse.

2025 Season // Peter Burling crew shot

Now, they’re heading home; SailGP’s first ever visit to Auckland gets underway next weekend. Their record at home is solid, with a second place finish in Season 3 followed by a triumphant and determined victory in Season 4, both on the South Island’s Lyttelton Harbour. While Dubai and Auckland might seem like polarizing venues, Burling is quick to highlight their similarities. Auckland’s racecourse will be located on the busy thoroughfare of Waitematā Harbour, just minutes from downtown Auckland. Both Auckland and Dubai, the latter of which hosts racing on Mina Rashid, have racecourses ‘on the smaller side’ of what the fleet is used to, resulting in close quarter, dynamic racing. For the fans, both have the perfect layout, with the Tech Site, Race Stadium, Adrenaline Lounge and racecourse ‘all within 100m meters of each other’.

2025 Season // New Zealand Zhik Announcement // Close up of NZL F50

The on water activity of Waitematā Harbour means it doesn’t often host sailing events, handing the Black Foils an advantage when racing gets underway. As the team they’ve ‘done more sailing in the area than anyone else’, Burling says. “Everyone in SailGP has spent a big chunk of time in Auckland, so I think the city is relatively familiar to most of the athletes,” he says, “but it’s a pretty busy part of the harbor – I don’t think many of them have sailed in the upper harbor where we’re going to race.” He predicts the venue to provide ‘flat water’ and ’shiftier, windier conditions’ than Dubai, resulting in ‘dynamic’ racing. But the main selling point, he says, will be the ‘vibe from the fans’. “We’ve had such amazing support in our New Zealand events down in Christchurch and hopefully we can take that to another level.”

Season 4 // New Zealand, Emirates GBR, France and Germany teams in close quarter racing in Bermuda

Despite the team’s edge of experience in Auckland, Burling denies the Kiwis will have an advantage over the rest of the fleet. “Unless you’ve sailed at a venue in an F50, I don’t think you have a leg up on anyone else,” he says. “These courses have such tight boundaries and you’re so influenced by what other boats do that most of the local knowledge you build up from just doing the events there.”

New Zealand // Season 4 // New Zealand and crowds

When it comes to the fleet, Burling picks all the likely culprits as his team’s greatest competition when racing gets underway; triple SailGP champions Australia, Season 4 Champions Spain, as well as Giles Scott’s Canada and Dylan Fletcher’s Emirates GBR. But Auckland will also see the return of Quentin Delapierre’s France, which sat out the season opener while awaiting a new F50. “They had a super strong last season and I’d expect them to be near the top,” Burling says. Despite this, Burling has his eyes set on defending the home title and delighting home fans with a Kiwi win. “Performing and winning at home is so special – we’ve got so many fans cheering us on and I think everyone is going to be blown away by the support this event gets in Auckland.”

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