‘Mean business’: Aussie champs’ ‘weakness’ exposed as Kiwi rivals race to end SailGP dynasty

Australia’s SailGP champions will race on home soil this weekend as they chase their first win of the season and battle their Kiwis rivals.

Nathan Outteridge and Tom Slingsby.

Australia is under pressure to claim their first win of the SailGP season and back up skipper Tom Slingsby’s fighting words with results on home soil.

The Aussies have a six-point lead at the top of SailGP’s season four leaderboard but the three-time champions have well and truly become the hunted after Slingsby said he wasn’t overly impressed by the next generation of SailGP drivers.

The global sailing league likened to F1 on water returns to Sydney Harbour this weekend, where stronger winds are forecast — a welcome change after light conditions made for tame racing on the Middle East leg.

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Australia have yet to win an event this season and the rivalry with second-placed New Zealand is set to heat up with the next two events in Sydney and Christchurch.

“We’re excited to be back. The Sydney event is obviously our favourite event,” Slingsby told news.com.au.

“We’re hitting the second half of the season. We’ve had a great start to the year. We haven’t won any events unfortunately yet but we’ve been sailing really well, we’ve been really consistent.

“Fingers crossed we have wind because we haven’t had much this season.”

New Zealand claimed back-to-back victories in light winds in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and the Kiwis loom as the biggest threat to Australia’s quest for a championship four-peat.

New Zealand’s Peter Burling will miss the Sydney event as he awaits the birth of his first child, with Aussie Olympic gold medallist Nathan Outteridge coming off the bench for the Kiwis in his absence.

Tom Slingsby's Australia remain the team to beat. Photo: SailGP/Ricardo Pinto.

New Zealand’s gun pairing Burling and Blair Tuke have sailed together for 15 years and are ready to finally knock the Aussies off their perch this season.

“We’ve had some amazing experiences together,” Tuke told news.com.au.

“We teamed up when Pete was 17 and I was 19 or something. Pete just loves taking on challenges. Keeps a pretty level head but a very fierce competitor, although it might not feel like that all the time.”

Tuke said New Zealand’s goal is to “hopefully close the gap on the Aussies and get one over them on home waters this weekend”.

“But that’s no easy task, they sail very well in Sydney and we’re going to have to be on our game if we want to match them and beat them,” he said.

“That rivalry is definitely growing. We went toe-to-toe last season and they obviously held on to win the final in San Francisco.

“They’ve been the form team, consistent throughout. The rivalry hasn’t eased this season, it’s probably built if anything.”

“Observing the New Zealand team, they really want to win this season,” Outteridge said at Friday’s press conference.

“They were incredibly close to stealing the win last year in San Francisco.

“I hope I can do my part this weekend for the New Zealand team to keep that charge going.

“Pete and Blair are some of the best sailors in the world and they’re working really hard to make sure they’re a firm challenge.

“You can sense that, just being in the squad this week. They mean business, they’re here to win.

“For the league itself, sure it’d be good to have a different winner. But ultimately the best team’s going to win and we’ll find out in San Francsico.”

Nathan Outteridge will fill in as New Zealand's driver. Photo: SailGP/Felix Diemer.

Tuke, Burling and Outteridge are also part of New Zealand’s America’s Cup team that will aim to win the iconic sailing event for the third consecutive time in Spain later this year.

Slingsby is competing for the American Magic team in the America’s Cup, so the Aussie champion will race for glory against the Kiwis on several occasions on the water this year.

“Yeah, it’d be huge for us as a team and the country,” Tuke said of the prospect of winning SailGP season four.

“We love the challenge. It’s the first time in sailing we’ve had regular competition like this — the best people sailing the in the same fast boats. It’s pretty awesome.

“It’s an exciting year on the sailing and sporting calendar. Two huge goals ahead of us. Excited to take it on. Our team likes to perform when you need to. This year is absolutely one of the moment. A heck of a challenge in front us but we’re ready for it.”

The Aussies are still searching for their first win of season four. Photo: Ricardo Pinto for SailGP.

SailGP commentator Stevie Morrison believes New Zealand’s form in light winds is proof they are stronger overall than the Australians.

“I think the Kiwis are more of an all round package than the Australians right now,” Morrison said on SailGP’s Final Thoughts recap after Abu Dhabi.

“I don’t see a huge weakness in the New Zealand team, whereas I do see a weakness in the Australian team.

“I think as we go to these windier events, we’re going to see the Australia’s come back.”

“Us as a team and myself, our weakness is light airs,” Slingsby admitted.

“Honestly, I’ve had that weakness my entire sailing career. It’s not my comfortable space. I prefer it when it’s windy. It’s something I’m always working on.

“It’s been such a light air season so far, but we’ve got to be happy we’re in front in the overall championship.”

All eyes are on the Australia-New Zealand rivalry as the Kiwis emerge as the main threat to end the era of Aussie sailing dominance.

“For sure, they’re the in form team,” Slingsby said.

“They’ve won three events this season, we’ve won none. They’re full of confidence.

“They’re going to go into this event as the favourites for sure, but we’ve got to try and stop their momentum.

“Doing it at our home event would be the way to do it. If we sail to our abilities, we know we can beat them.”

Australia lead the SailGP season four leaderboard. Photo: SailGP

Asked if it would benefit SailGP’s longevity if a new team was to win, Slingsby joked: “It’s because I’m an Aussie, but anyone but the Kiwis.

“It would be good for SailGP. You don’t want a team that just dominates. You watch F1 and when Mercedes won every race it was quite boring to watch.

“I understand why fans would want someone else to win, but that’s got nothing to do with us.

“What’s good for the league and what’s good for us are two different things potentially. We’re just going to try and win. It’s not in our nature to hand it up. We’re going to give

“For sure, they’re the in form team. They’ve won three events this season, we’ve won none. They’ve won the last two events in a row, they’re full of confidence.

“They’re going to go into this event as the favourites for sure, but we’ve got to try and stop their momentum.

“Doing it at our home event would be the way to do it. Fingers crossed we can put on a good show and sail to our abilities. If we sail to our abilities, we know we can beat them.”

So how does Slingsby rate his chances of winning both the SailGP season four and the America’s Cup?

“Honestly, it would be unbelievable,” he said.

“I think we’ve got a better chance in SailGP just because we’ve been there and won it before.

“The America’s Cup with American Magic — we’re training every day to make that final and have a shot at taking the America’s Cup off the Kiwis.

“It’s not easy. None of these things are easy to do. If I got one of those two things, I’d be pretty happy.”

SailGP returns to Sydney Harbour this weekend. Photo: SailGP/Ricardo Pinto.

SailGP CEO Sir Russell Coutts is a legend of New Zealand sailing, but he doesn’t necessarily want to see the Kiwis beat the Aussies.

“I reckon if you put the New Zealand team and the Australians in 20 races and they’re both sailing at their best, I reckon the Australians would beat them 14 out of 20 times,” Coutts told news.com.au.

“Australia is still pretty dominant in my opinion. Now we’ll see if that changes at the next few events.

“You go back in history, it’s a little bit like the Chicago Bulls. They’re going through a purple patch where they’re just so hard to beat.

“The fact the Chicago Bulls won multiple championships didn’t diminish the sport in any way. People respected that they’re some very talented athletes and I think it’s the same with the Australian team right now.

“It’s not just Tom Slingsby. Jason Waterhouse and Kyle Langford in particular have a lot to do with that performance. All of them — they are a very, very strong team.

“It’s a massive motivation for the other teams to try and knock them off their perch.

“Conversely, even though Tom hasn’t referenced this, it’s mentally challenging for the Australian team to back win it again and again and again. That’s one of the hardest things to do in sport.”

Watch SailGP Sydney on Kayo Sports on Saturday and Sunday. Racing begins at 4pm AEDT.