Chadwick takes the wheel alongside Olympic legend Ainslie at SailGP in Cádiz
Veloce racer joins Olympic champion Sir Ben Ainslie aboard Great Britain SailGP Team’s F50 catamaran for sixth sailor experience
Veloce Racing’s Jamie Chadwick joined the Great Britain SailGP Team in Cádiz, Andalusia, during practice for the Spain Sail Grand Prix. The 23-year-old’s visit to the sixth event of the season coincided with a milestone moment that will see the league’s women’s pathway program athletes racing for the first time ever – which Chadwick was only too happy to endorse.
Four-time Olympic sailing champion Ainslie and the British SailGP squad welcomed the 2019 W Series champion to become its sixth sailor for the day, on the state-of-the-art foiling F50 catamaran and Chadwick, unsurprisingly, took to sailing like a duck to water.
Chadwick’s appearance at SailGP overlapped with an announcement that female athletes will compete onboard the high-speed F50s for the first time. Designed to create a sporting championship that has gender equity, the Women’s Pathway Program was launched at the beginning of the season to encourage more female participation within the sport, reminiscent of W Series joining the Formula 1 support bill for 2021.
At the Spain Sail Grand Prix, the British crew was joined by a new team-mate, as the double Olympic champion Hannah Mills became one of the first female athletes to race in the series when she joined Ainslie and the Great Britain SailGP Team as a sixth sailor.
During Chadwick’s visit to Cádiz, the Bath-born ace also spoke at SailGP’s thought leadership event Champions for Change along with Veloce Racing CEO Daniel Bailey. The pairing offered their thoughts on gender equality, innovation and sustainability in the industry, providing a fresh perspective and inciting extensive discussion.
Jamie Chadwick, Driver, Veloce Racing commented: “What an experience! It’s been great to spend time with the team and learn how a professional sailing squad operates. Of course, you draw comparisons to motorsport teams, it’s really interesting to see the different approaches to competing.
“I’m also really pleased to see the Women’s Pathway Program reaching such an important milestone here this week. It’s so important for all sports to recognise gender equality and bring it to the forefront of conversations.”
Ben Ainslie, CEO & Driver, Great Britain SailGP Team said: “It was awesome to have Jamie sail on the F50 with us here in Cádiz. Her experience in motorsport really transitioned well with the speeds we can reach out on the water and how dynamic the SailGP boats are. Jamie was fearless and by the end of the session she was steering the boat at closing speeds of 90km/h that takes a lot of skill and guts.”
Daniel Bailey, CEO, Veloce Racing added: “We’ve loved every minute of this weekend. A big thank you to SailGP and Great Britain SailGP Team for making us feel so welcome here in Cádiz.
“It was also amazing to be a part of the Champions for Change side of the event. It’s always useful to hear other people’s experiences from outside of your own industry. Often, a fresh set of eyes will look at your challenges from a different angle and help drive things forward.”
About Veloce
Veloce is a London-based organisation that focuses on disruptive areas of the sports and entertainment industries – specifically, esports, motorsport and sustainable, EV motorsport. The brand comprises established professional gaming organisation, Veloce Esports, Extreme E outfit, Veloce Racing and W Series team, Veloce Racing W Series, with all three falling under the overarching Veloce umbrella. As a whole, the business occupies the fastest-growing sectors in motorsport.
Veloce Racing was born from Extreme E’s vision of sustainability-focussed, content-rich and gender-equal sport. The team’s remarkable leadership line-up is spearheaded by legendary Formula 1 designer Adrian Newey and Formula E Champion and ex-Formula 1 driver Jean-Éric Vergne. They are joined by a host of other industry entrepreneurs and innovators who are eagerly awaiting the start of the inaugural 2021 season. Extreme E is an innovative new motorsport championship that sees electric SUVs going head-to-head in areas of the world that have been damaged by climate change or environmental issues.
Veloce Esports is the world’s leading esports and racing growth platform focused on innovation within the gaming, sport, media and entertainment sectors; comprising high-profile drivers, influencers and teams from across the globe. Among them are the official Mercedes F1, McLaren Racing, Alfa Romeo, Sauber and YAS HEAT esports programmes as well as YouTube sensations Tiametmarduk, Aarava, Xpertgamingtech and Lando Norris’ Quadrant channel to name but a few. The organisation’s digital broadcast network, across its various channels, generates in excess of 230 million views per month.
To learn more, please visit: veloce.gg
Sources: George Wilson/MPA Creative