For the second time this year, the Australian BONDS Flying Roos took first place in the Rolex SailGP Championship race at the inaugural Enel Rio Sail Grand Prix in Rio, Brazil.
Twelve teams raced over the weekend, with unstable, shifting conditions complicating the event. However, the Australian team, led by three-time Rolex SailGP Champion Tom Slingsby, won all three qualifying fleet races and the final on day two, even after receiving a five-point penalty for a rule 14 breach that caused damage.
“I’m really pleased with the team,” Slingsby said. “We’ve brought together a group with huge potential, and although we hadn’t fully clicked before today, we finally showed what we’re capable of when everything comes together. It’s a really satisfying feeling — not just as a driver, but from a broader perspective. It was also special to get this first win with Goobs [Iain Jensen]. We go way back, so sharing that moment meant a lot.”
Artemis made their first event final, finishing third in Rio behind Spain’s Los Gallos. The US SailGP Team, Rockwool Racing, Germany Deutsche Bank, and Red Bull Italy finished fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh in Rio, respectively.
This win puts the Australian team in first place in the Rolex SailGP Championship standings, with Emirates GBR dropping to second overall, and the U.S. team in third place overall.
“Bringing SailGP to Rio for the first time has exceeded expectations,” said SailGP CEO and Co-founder Sir Russell Coutts. “The energy on the waterfront, the passion of our fans and intensity of racing on Guanabara Bay have made this a landmark moment for us as a league. This weekend is exactly what SailGP is about — world-class sport, close-to-shore stadium racing, in iconic destinations. Rio has delivered on every front, and we can’t wait to be back in 2027.”
Racing returns in May for the Apex Group Bermuda Sail Grand Prix from May 9–10.
Photo: Jason Ludlow for SailGP
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