Anticipation is at an all-time high as Australia gears up for a fierce battle against 11 rival nations at the Rolex Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix marking the first-ever U.S. double-header, which commences today.
Tom Slingsby and his crew have their sights set on snatching the top spot from Emirates Great Britain on the overall 2025 Season leaderboard after delivering a solid performance in their practice session today.
After a chaotic Sydney event full of incidents, the pressure is on as the flying F50 fleet heads into back-to-back events in LA and San Francisco, with two new teams in tow - Mubadala Brazil and Red Bull Italy.
One unexpected factor in LA's waters is the infamous Californian kelp, which has caused problems for teams in the past. The Australians went viral last season for their creative solution - a custom-made "weed stick" designed to remove debris from the Flying Roo's foils mid-race.
"We call it our weed stick. Basically, it's a boat hook with a bit of padding on the end to protect the foils if we do hit weeds. That comes out once a year here in LA. If we have to use it again, we will," Slingsby said.
With $800,000 USD in prize money up for grabs, the stakes are higher than ever for all teams as they go head-to-head this weekend.
Racing commences on Sunday 16 March for Australians from 8:00am to 9:30am AEDT.
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