SailGP CEO Russell Coutts promises Perth fans show to remember at inaugural Fremantle event

SailGP CEO Russell Coutts is promising Perth fans a show they won’t soon forget when the ‘Formula One of the seas’ blows into Fremantle for the inaugural West Australian Grand Prix in January. Sail GP chief executive Sir Russell Coutts has declared sailing is no longer a sport fans switch on once every four years to watch Australia win Olympic gold medals. Instead, it’s become a cutthroat playground for millionaires and the sports and entertainment elite, highlighted by Australian acting royalty Hugh Jackman partnering with Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds to purchase a stake in Australia’s SailGP team, the Flying Roos. The pair join the likes of F1 champion Sebastian Vettel, who is linked to the German outfit, as well as renowned former heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder with the American team. “People probably have an image of sailing, and it’s nothing like that,” Coutts told The West Australian in an exclusive sit down. “This is high-speed, high-adrenaline racing—these boats hydrofoil above the water. “Especially here in Fremantle with the Doctor, they’ll do speeds of more than 100km/h. When the fleet’s coming into turn one, it’s just incredible. “The higher you hydrofoil, the faster you go. The drag drops quite significantly when you fly higher, but it’s a lot more dangerous - you can do a nose dive and possibly capsize the boat, so it’s a balance between going really fast and keeping control. “People who turn up to a SailGP race, the reaction is pretty much the same every time, the spectacle blows them away.” Perth will open the 2025 SailGP season with the first of its three locked in Grand Prixs, and will get the first look at the competitions two newest teams, which Coutts revealed were taking ownership bids of nothing less than $50 million. Fremantle, which hosted the America’s Cup defence in 1987 after Australia’s historic triumph, will feature four races across the weekend, all built into a 90-minute program. Fans, at times, will even be within 10 to 20 metres of the action, with other entertainment, such as celebrity chefs and music, also around the precinct. “It will be a spectacular event,” Coutts said. “That time of year, you are going to get strong sea breezes; Fremantle is known for that, so the boats will be racing at high speed. “It’ll be pretty edgy, on the edge of control. “We make the boats intentionally very difficult to race because they are meant to be a test for the best sailors in the world. “That creates passing opportunities because it is so difficult for mistakes to get made. “I expect our audience in Perth will see somewhere around the eight thousand a day plus number depending on what sort of infrastructure we can provide. “Having this regular calendar of Grand Prix events means our audience has been growing really fast.” Fremantle is the second Australian event with Sydney having hosted multiple GPs. The athletes themselves are star-studded in Sailing GP, with Olympic gold medalist Tom Slingsby guiding Australia, three-time America’s Cup-winning helmsman Peter Burling with New Zealand, as well as reigning champion and Spain’s Olympic gold medallist Diego Botin. And Coutts believes the Australian team will only get stronger in coming seasons. “We have the best sailors in the world, and that makes it very appealing,” he said. “Australia as a nation have pretty much bucketloads of talent coming through. “There’s a lot of very, very young male and female athletes in sailing that are world-class. “So when it’s eventually time to bring in new talent, there will be plenty of options within Australia.”