The Germany SailGP Team is eagerly looking forward to its home race. On 22 and 23 August, the action will get underway for the second time on the Baltic Sea course off Sassnitz, following last summer’s debut. The league has confirmed that tickets are almost sold out: the organisers are expecting more than 13,000 paying spectators in the stands of the Rügen Arena over the weekend.
Sassnitz SailGP: the league’s record-breaking run
SailGP Managing Director Andrew Thompson said at a press conference ahead of the German leg of the Rolex SailGP: “Sassnitz means great racing and great fans. After just one year, Sassnitz has become a favourite with both the teams and the fans. We’re also expecting lots of fans from Denmark and Sweden. “Last year, SailGP generated an economic impact of around ten million euros in the region. This year, we want the event to be even bigger,” said Thompson.
The race course will also be a little busier than last time, although the race is now being sailed in so-called ‘split fleets’, in two groups of seven and six boats respectively: A total of 13 teams are competing off the coast of Rügen at the Rockwool Germany Sail Grand Prix for US$800,000 in prize money. For the top performers, the ninth of the 13 rounds in the current sixth SailGP season is also a chance to secure a place in the grand final at the end of the year, where the winner alone will take home two million US dollars in prize money.
The League Lions and their rivals are setting their sights on the fastest course in SailGP, as it was in Sassnitz last year that the current speed record of 103.93 km/h was set by the Danish team Rockwool Racing, helmed by Nicolai Sehested. Will it be beaten this year? Early forecasts at the start of the week at least pointed to fresh winds at the weekend, which could give a boost to attempts on the usually smooth Baltic Sea course.
“Memorable moments” from the 2025 premiere
The German racing team owned by Thomas Riedel, four-time Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel and other co-owners has put a great deal of preparatory work into this home race across all areas, in collaboration with Sassnitz, the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and the league. On the sporting front, driver Erik Kosegarten-Heil and his crew are aiming for another top result this summer in the international sailing racing league. Team principal Tim Krieglstein has a wish list for this: “I’ve asked for: sunshine, wind and a podium finish.”
The German SailGP team still has fond memories of last year’s opening race victory and their strong overall performance in front of a roaring crowd. “That was brilliant! We exceeded all expectations last year – and not just in sporting terms. Everyone who was in Sassnitz went home with a smile on their face. That’s something that sticks in your mind,” said Erik Kosegarten-Heil.
In the current league campaign, Schwarz-Rot-Gold sit in eighth place following a mixed run of form in what is only their third season. At the start of the year, the team led by two-time Olympic bronze medallist Erik Kosegarten-Heil had set themselves the deliberately ambitious target of finishing sixth. To achieve this, they will need to improve their form somewhat in the remaining five events. The crew are well aware that last year, following a similarly inconsistent run of results, their home race marked a positive turnaround. Following their success in Sassnitz, Team Germany 2025 went on to win their first event on Lake Geneva.
The Germany SailGP Team’s Achilles’ heel and fighting spirit
According to coach Lennart Briesenick, compared to last year, the team has “made incredible progress in how we sail the boat from a technical point of view”. Another strong point is “the number of places we make up from the start to the finish”. Nevertheless, this season has also seen its ups and downs for the German racing team, which can still be partly attributed to the lack of training opportunities for newer teams in the league.
The figures show just how difficult it is to close the gap on the top teams – who also have experience in the America’s Cup – without the training facilities that are finally set to become available from this autumn at the new long-term training centre in Pensacola. Team Germany’s average finishing positions improved from 7.75 to 7.16 between its first and second years as a new team in SailGP. With almost two-thirds of the current season complete, the average for this season currently stands at 7.5. That is set to change over the remaining five events. Another area for improvement is the varying success of their starts. Lennart Briesenick is also aware: “Our start statistics aren’t good enough yet.”
"Consistency at the start is a challenge we’re working hard to overcome." Lennart Briesenick
The motto for the Baltic Sea showdown, however, is aggressive. Lennart Briesenick says: “We’re heading into Sassnitz fully motivated, knowing that anything is possible for us!” Anyone who can’t make it to Sassnitz can also follow Team Germany’s progress in their home match on ZDF to see whether, as last year, the trend will take an upward turn. ZDF has a strong team on the ground in Sassnitz and is already planning the first reports for Friday morning (21 August), including a live link-up from Sassnitz at around 8.20 am on *Morgenmagazin*.
Plenty of SailGP on ZDF
On Saturday, SailGP will be broadcast as part of the sports afternoon programme on Das Zweite from 1.40 pm to 3.40 pm, alongside DFB Cup highlights. On Sunday, SailGP sailing will be part of a multi-sport programme from 2 pm to 7 pm, which will also feature highlights from other sports. On Monday, following the Germany Summit, a follow-up report will be shown on ZDF’s Mittagsmagazin. Covering the SailGP for ZDF will be presenter Amelie Stiefvatter, commentator Kristin Recke, co-commentator Felix van den Hövel and Nils Kaben as reporter on the water.
Fond memories! Click here for the SailGP review of last year’s Sassnitz debut:
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter