The ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix will welcome 13 international teams to Auckland this weekend for high-speed, high-action stadium racing just meters from the shoreline – all set against the backdrop of one of sailing’s most iconic cities.
The “City of Sails” is expected to draw a crowd of up to 26,000 across the weekend to SailGP’s largest Race Stadium on the Waitematā Harbor. Host nation Black Foils return to the start line of the Rolex SailGP Championship following a dramatic collision last month in Perth. After the crash with Switzerland ended New Zealand’s season debut prematurely, it’s been an all hands on deck effort to get the Black Foils’ F50 race-ready for their home Sail Grand Prix.
Sir Russell Coutts, SailGP co-founder and CEO, said: “It has been a monumental effort to get them back on the start line, and I’m sure the New Zealand fans will turn out in full force to support the Black Foils this weekend.”
Led by Olympic champions and America’s Cup winners Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, the Black Foils will have a chance to reset this weekend in front of passionate home support on a tight harbor course with turbulent winds expected – a recipe for top speeds.
At the opening press conference in Auckland on Friday, Burling said: “We’re really glad to be at home. It’ll be really special to see all 13 boats in front of the massive grandstands here. It’s really cool to see the buzz growing and growing, and the people talking about it around town.
“It definitely was not the ideal way to start the season (in Perth) having the boat in a condition where you can’t sail after race one,” he continued, “but the SailGP Tech Team has done a really good job getting the boat back on track, even replacing all the spare parts from scratch.”
The damaged section of the team’s port hull – a roughly 2-meter structural segment sheared off in the impact with the Swiss – was fabricated from scratch at SailGP Technologies in the UK before being shipped to Auckland for final assembly. Specialists from SailGP’s Tech Team worked around the clock, integrating the new hull section, replating composite panels and meticulously aligning control systems to ensure the boat meets both safety and performance thresholds.
Los Gallos, representing Spain, will also return to the startline in Auckland following a crash in pre-season training which ruled the 2024 champions out of this season’s first event in Perth.
Diego Botin, driver of Los Gallos, said: “We had a very unfortunate event in Perth and the damage was very big. It’s obviously very frustrating not having had the chance to score points in Perth, losing two days of racing and also the chance to improve, so we felt on the unlucky side of the spectrum, but are going to move forward to build our season from here.”
Defending champions Emirates GBR, anchored by their driver and Olympic gold medalist Dylan Fletcher, jumped out to first place already in 2026 with a win in Perth and will look to better their third-place finish in Auckland last season.
Australia’s BONDS Flying Roos, who won the Auckland event last season and have carved out a reputation for being strong when the breeze builds, will be a team to watch as they aim to topple their regional rivals.
Newcomers Artemis and the U.S. both emerged from Perth with surprising performances, finishing fourth and fifth, respectively, on the leaderboard – with the U.S. showing major gains in its big-breeze racing compared to last season.
Taylor Canfield, driver of the U.S. SailGP Team, said: “We’ve had a few personnel changes in the team over the last season and a half, and it’s been tough on the team honestly. But we’ve got a great group now that I think we’re going to stick with it for a while. So we’re definitely not at our ceiling yet and that’s exciting.”
The ROCKWOOL Racing SailGP Team, driven by Nicolai Sehested and finished eighth in Perth, will race under new ownership for the first time, as earlier today it was announced the team has been acquired by leading sports investor and American Magic Co-Founder, Doug DeVos. The transaction for the fastest team on water marked a new chapter for the Danish in the global sail racing championship, bringing together leaders in global business and high-performance sport.
Practice racing on Friday was cancelled due to thunderstorms in Auckland. Official racing at the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix will get underway on Saturday, February 14 at 4 p.m. NZDT.
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