“As a team we expect more of ourselves”: Slingsby turns his focus to redemption in Plymouth, after finishing last place at Italy Sail Grand Prix

TARANTO - June 6, 2021 - Despite a difficult final day at the Italy Sail Grand Prix, the Australia Team Driver Tom Slingsby, is ready to regroup and focus the team’s efforts toward the next SailGP event hosted in Plymouth on July 17 and 18.

Slingsby’s crew ended the second clash of the season in 8th place after five races which saw tight battles across the fleet. Japan, skippered by fellow Australian, Nathan Outteridge, took the champion crown at the event, following a fierce final battle between the USA and Spain teams.

Commenting on the team’s performance on race day two, Slingbsy said, “The boat was working and there were no excuses. We were really in a position to win both races if we had sailed properly after the first lap. There were errors, and we ended up with 5th and 2nd position, which is better than yesterday, but not where we want to be.”

“I believe the worst result we have ever had at a SailGP event has been 2nd, so to finish last at this event sucks. It’s not good enough, I expect more from myself and we as a team expert more of ourselves,” Slingbsy continued.

Wing Trimmer Kyle Langford said, “Today was actually the first day where we didn’t have any major technical issues with the boat, but having said that, when the boat is not performing as you’d liked you still need to be able to adapt and make it work. We’re guilty of having faulty equipment, but we’re also guilty of not working around the problem.”

Wasting no time, Slingsby and the crew will now review the race footage and prepare for the Plymouth event, taking place on July 17 and 18.

“We need to go back and have a good look again at what we are doing wrong and what the other teams are doing right. We’ll all jump on a zoom call in the next week to review the footage and plan so we can improve for Plymouth”, said Langford.