The final countdown: One month until SailGP Grand Final in Marseille

Marseille (France), 20 August 2019 - On 20-22 September 2019, the Mediterranean city of Marseille will host the Grand Final of SailGP Season 1 – the new global championship aiming to redefine sailing. For the first time ever in France, the world's fastest flying catamarans and top athletes will take centre stage, offering a unique and high speed maritime show in Marseille for the spectators expected.

This new annual event, launched at the end of 2018 by Sir Russell Coutts and Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle, pits nation versus nation in a series of short format racing in some of the most iconic harbours in the world.

Following four events in Sydney, San Francisco, New York and Cowes, UK, the six teams representing France, Australia, China, Great Britain, Japan and the United States will go head to head in Marseille for the season finale.

The penultimate event in Cowes saw a new F50 speed record broken, with Dylan Fletcher’s British team hitting 50 knots (nearly 60 mph / 100 kph) in training on the revolutionary catamaran, before overall leader Tom Slingsby and his Australian team went one better, to hit the incredible speed during racing for the first time. Marseille promises to be an equally intense and spectacular event.

Currently Australia’s Tom Slingsby is leading the charge at the top of the leaderboard but will have to fight off strong competition from fellow Olympic gold medallist Nathan Outteridge of Japan, Rome Kirby’s young United States team and the British team helmed by Dylan Fletcher. After two days racing in Marseille, the top two ranked teams from the whole season will do battle for glory and the $1 million prize.

The French Team, helmed by Billy Besson, will be looking to continue its success from Cowes SailGP, where they scored their best race position of the season, and hope that a home advantage will elevate them up the leaderboard.

"We are very excited to be racing at home, it brings us extra energy and motivation to do well. We accomplished some great performances in Cowes and will sail in Marseille with more confidence. A new speed record was established for the F50, of more than 52 knots, so depending on weather conditions during the event, it promises a high tension experience for this Grand Final, both for the teams and the fans." -Billy Besson, helmsman of the France SailGP Team, four-time Nacra 17 world champion.

An exceptional facility to welcome sailing enthusiasts and high-performance sports fans

For the SailGP Grand Final, there will be a SailGP Fan Zone in front of the MuCem. Giant screens and live race commentary will enhance the fan experience. The offshore seawall has been completely redesigned, with the support of the harbor of Marseille, and hosts a large spectator stand and VIP area, placing fans right at the edge of the action. For French fans unable to get to the event, the races will be broadcasted live on Canal+ Group channels during the three days of the competition.

__SailGP ticketed experiences to enjoy the Grand Final __

Tickets on the seawall start at 25€/person for the ‘Seawall Standard’ offer and three types of ticket are available. All tickets allow access to the seawall by boat to get a front row seat to the racing without getting wet, as well as live commentary and big screens. The ‘Seawall Grandstand’ allows exclusive access to the Grandstand on the seawall. While those wishing to enjoy VIP access, SailGP has also developed a new ‘Seawall Gold’ offer, priced at 245€/person, which ensures a premium experience to the event with complimentary food and beverage and lounge seating for a front row view of the racing.

For fans wanting to share the water with the F50s, SailGP has exclusively partnered with Icard Maritime to provide two on-water experiences for families, individuals and corporate guests – SailGP Cruise Select and SailGP Cruise Premier. Starting from 85€/person for the ‘Cruise Select’ offer, spectator boats will have a designated area at the edge of the racecourse. The upgraded ‘Cruise Premier’ ticket includes complimentary food and beverages.

For full ticket details visit SailGP.com/Marseille.