America’s Cup winner Glenn Ashby, Nathan Outteridge, Iain Jensen racing SuperFoiler
IT’S a sailing dream team boasting multiple Olympic gold medals, Olympic silvers, numerous world crowns and an America’s Cup win. The only problem is it is so stacked, they can’t figure out who will steer the radical machine they will race this summer.
Sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Sport. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Teenager in sevens heaven for Dubai
- Five surfers who can win the WSL world crown
- Aussie mixed crew could win America’s Cup says gun
IT’S a world sailing dream team boasting multiple Olympic medals, two dozen world crowns and an America’s Cup win. The only problem is it is so stacked, they can’t figure out who will steer the radical foiling machine they will race over summer.
LIFT-OFF: Olympian jumps aboard SuperFoiler
SURF STARLET: Teenager wins Nutri-Grain ironwoman ... again
Team-mates at the Beijing Olympics but rivals in the recent America’s Cup, Team New Zealand winning skipper Glenn Ashby and multiple world 49er skiff champions Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen will join forces as a crew for the first time to race the newly launched SuperFoiler on a five-leg Australian circuit in the new year.
Between them these three sailors boast two Olympic gold medals, three Olympic silvers, an extraordinary 24 world championships in various sailing classes and multiple silver and bronze world championship medals.
“It’s going to be great sailing something new and exciting together for the first time because we are great mates,’’ said Ashby, who is currently in discussion with Team New Zealand for the next America’s Cup.
SYDNEY TO HOBART: Record-breaker returning
NRL GUN: Kezie Apps was better player
“We’ve done a lot of sailing against each other recently but never together so this will be great.
“We’re still not sure who will steer, probably Nathan. But there is a discussion about switching around so we all get a steer.’’
The trio, along with 2012 Olympic match-racing silver medallist Olivia Price, are the only four sailors confirmed to race the six boats in the SuperFoiler Grand Prix which kicks off in Adelaide in February.
Ashby, from McCrae in Victoria, believes the new racing machines, which are able to foil both upwind and downwind, are capable of an extraordinary 40 knots.
FAN FAVOURITES: Why you will fall in love with this team
GRAND FINAL: Close race has Sally Fitz excited
“That will be plenty on trapeze,’’ said Ashby of the boats whose hulls will rarely touch water when lifted up by carbon fibre blades.
Prior to his America’s Cup win, Ashby won Olympic silver and three world crowns with his old skipper Darren Bundock in the Tornado catamaran class, nine A-Class world titles and three crowns in the F18 class.
Outteridge has won an Olympic gold and silver, four world 49er skiff crowns, two world Moth titles and a number of minor medals.
Fellow NSW Central Coast sailor Jensen is an Olympic champion from the London Olympics, a three-time world 49er skiff champion and has also won medals across a variety of other sailing classes.
BOOM OR BUST: Chinese team ready for Sydney to Hobart assault
SUPER FOILER: Is this world sailing's best crew?
“Last time I sailed against him it didn’t go so well for me. It will be great to have Glenn on my team,” said Jensen who was aboard Artemis Racing at the last America’s Cup.
“Hopefully the old boy can teach me a thing or two.”
The SuperFoiler Grand Prix will be broadcast across the Seven Network in 2018.