The New Zealand SailGP team issued a statement on their home waters in Lyttelton on Saturday, but helmsman Peter Burling believes it was insufficient. The Kiwi team finished the first day of racing at the top of the leaderboard in SailGP’s debut event on New Zealand waters, with a win and two runner-up finishes.
“It’s fantastic to be working with ChristchurchNZ to bring this vision to life,” said SailGP Commercial Director and Head of Event Karl Budge. Over the next four years, we plan to reimagine how Kiwis are entertained by sailing. With what we have planned, I am confident that this will become New Zealand’s summer event.
After the inaugural event scheduled for January 2022 in Christchurch was forced to be cancelled, ChristchurchNZ is excited to host the world-class event in Season 3.
How to watch SailGP Christchurch 2023
What: NZ SailGp 2023
Where: Christchurch, NZ
When: March 18 and 19
Start Time: 10: 30 AM ET
TV Channel: TSN (Canada) Sky Sport (NZ and UK)
Live Stream Anywhere: RacePass
2023 New Zealand Sail Grand Prix preview
Former America’s Cup winner Tom Slingsby has led the Australians to another dominant campaign as they seek a hat-trick of titles.
They currently lead second-placed New Zealand by 12 points, with France in third place trailing by one point.
Sir Ben Ainslie, skipper and team principal of British America’s Cup syndicate INEOS Team UK, is only one point behind at the helm of the Great Britain boat.
Australian Jimmy Spithill will also be considered for the role of chief executive and captain of the United States team.
The New Zealand leg is the championship’s penultimate stop, giving teams one last chance to finish in the top three for the championship finale in San Francisco in May.
On day one, three fleet races are held, followed by three more plus the final on day two.
Each team receives points based on their finishing position, with the winner receiving 10 points, the second receiving 9, and so on.
The top three teams after six fleet races advance to the final, where the winner is crowned event champion and receives ten points toward the overall standings.
