Taking the reins

Renowned Australian sailor Jimmy Spithill joins the United States SailGP Team for Season 2, beginning in 2021.

09 December 2020

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SailGP has announced champion sailor Jimmy Spithill has signed on to become CEO and helm of the United States SailGP Team.

Spithill will lead the US team as it fights to claim the sport’s largest monetary prize of US$1 million when the global league returns for the start of its second season on 24–25 April at the Bermuda Grand Prix presented by Hamilton Princess.

Rome Kirby, who previously led the team from inception as helm, will shift to the flight controller position, making the US the only team to have a former F50 helm flying the boat. The remainder of the US team roster will be announced in the coming months.

Spithill is widely regarded as one of the sport’s top athletes in high-performance racing, having spent the last two decades competing in the America’s Cup. He served as skipper of Oracle Team USA for more than ten years, during which time he delivered two America’s Cup wins, including a dramatic come-from-behind victory in San Francisco in 2013.

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Born in Australia, Spithill permanently resides in San Diego, California, and currently competes with the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team – a challenger for the 36th America’s Cup; Spithill’s seventh campaign for the sport’s oldest trophy.

SailGP CEO Sir Russell Coutts said: “We couldn’t be more excited to have not only an amazing sailor, but also one of the greatest competitors, join SailGP.

“Jimmy brings a massive amount of experience and skill to the US team and even further cements our position as the sport’s pinnacle league. Make no mistake – we have the best sailors in the world competing in the most exciting format.

“We’ll have eight incredibly competitive teams, each racing in identical, high-speed foiling catamarans in nine different countries around the world. Season 1 produced some great racing, and Season 2 will take this to a whole new level. It’s shaping up to be some of the most thrilling racing the sport has ever seen.”

Spithill said: “It’s obvious that SailGP is one of the pinnacle events in our sport that combines cutting-edge technology with exciting, dynamic racing in iconic venues spread around the world. As a competitor, an annual championship that draws in the world’s best professional sailors is where you want to be. I am extremely honoured to have the opportunity to represent the United States once again.”

Spithill and Kirby will be no strangers to appearing in the same starting line-up – both were former teammates on Oracle Team USA for more than seven years

Spithill said: “Rome and I both have great respect for one another having been teammates for many years, and I’m excited to be building an American team that is able to compete with and win against the best of the best both now and for years to come.

“Our first step is to create a winning team and we will use that as a catalyst to re-energise sailing in the US. Having raced under the American flag for a significant part of my professional career, this opportunity is – for me – all about creating a pathway that allows us to identify, develop and train the best US talent going forward.”

 

sailgp.com

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