ROCKWOOL Denmark SailGP Team arrives in San Francisco for the SailGP Season 4 Grand Final on track to secure its best-ever finish in the global racing league.
Nicolai Sehested, driver of the Danish boat, admits that chances of taking an all-important podium spot – and a place in the season final – are all but over, with the ROCKWOOL team requiring a ten-point swing on its main rivals, Spain.
The Danish team has finished in sixth spot in both of its previous seasons, but has a chance to take as high as fourth position in the season leaderboard if all goes well in California.
“Look, in sport, it isn’t over til it’s over, but we’re naturally disappointed that we have essentially dropped out of the running for the podium spots, after a tough final fleet race in New York earlier this month,” admits Sehested.
“We have taken our medicine. That’s racing. We now have to reset and go out in San Francisco to show what we can do. We’re fully focused on grabbing our best-ever season finish in SailGP to underline just how much progress we have made in the past 12 months, in the toughest fleet in the history of the sport.”
A bumper calendar for Season 5
SailGP has announced an expanded calendar for its 2024/2025 season, kicking off in Dubai in November 2024 and taking in 14 venues on five continents – including a Grand Final in Abu Dhabi in November 2025.
The calendar sees a bumper roster of events across some of the world’s most iconic cities, including Los Angeles, New York, Sydney and Auckland – taking in new territories such as Brazil, Germany, Switzerland, and returning to old favourites, such as Great Britain.
ROCKWOOL will again host the Italy Sail Grand Prix in September 2025, with thousands of fans expected to line the Taranto shoreline to catch the epic racing which hit the headlines earlier this season.
“We’re really excited about next season. It feels like SailGP is going to new levels, both on and off the water, and that’s exactly where we want to be,” adds Sehested.
“We’re also very grateful for the support of ROCKWOOL, who will once again partner with the ROCKWOOL Italy Sail Grand Prix in September 2025, to create a festival of foiling and a home away from home for our team. We couldn’t do it without their trust and commitment in us.”
Focusing on impact on and off the water
Ahead of the racing, the ROCKWOOL Denmark SailGP Team will await the results of another competition – the SailGP Impact League.
The Danish team, which took that crown in San Francisco at the end of Season 3, is in the running to take that prize once again – currently leading the standings, and knowing that podium spot securing vital funds for its Race For The Future partner One Ocean Foundation.
“The Impact League is something that is important to our team, and our partner ROCKWOOL – and we are putting our best foot forward to win some funding for our projects with One Ocean Foundation,” continues Sehested.
“We’ve done some really cool initiatives this year, including building a seahorse hotel in Taranto, and launching the Race to Restore, focused around eelgrass replanting, to mark our presence in Halifax earlier this summer – so to score one of the top spots would be a great reward for all of the team’s hard work.”
The winner of the Impact League will be announced on Friday 12 July – just 24 hours before the teams go racing in the Grand Final. Viewers can tune into the racing on Saturday 13 July at 1400 local time (2300 CEST) by heading to SailGP.com/watch.
