Oct 31, 2024
Helly Hansen and the Germany SailGP Team Announce Partnership for SailGP Season 5 in 2024-25
OSLO, NORWAY (OCTOBER 2024) — Leading global sailing brand Helly Hansen and the Germany SailGP Team are proud to announce their partnership for SailGP Season 5 in 2024-25. As Official Clothing Supplier, Helly Hansen will provide the team with professional grade, performance-driven gear as they take on one of the most exciting races on-water.
With adrenaline-fueled races across iconic sailing locations, SailGP is a global event featuring national teams battling it out in identical hydrofoiling F50 catamarans, flying at speeds approaching 100 km/h. Taking place all over the world in all kinds of weather conditions, SailGP Season 5 starts in Dubai in November 2024.
“SailGP is unlike any other regatta,” said Gabriele Galaverni, Brand Partnerships Director at Helly Hansen. “With record-breaking speeds, this race truly puts sailing’s top athletes to the test, and we are excited to partner with the Germany SailGP Team for this next season. We’re committed to providing this team of experienced, world-class athletes with the best possible technical gear to give them the competitive advantage as they go head-to-head with their rival national teams around the world.”
Tim Krieglstein, CEO of the Germany SailGP Team, is delighted about the partnership, “SailGP is the world’s most exciting race on-water and an interplay between the most diverse demands and challenges for our team – also in terms of weather. In our first season, we dealt with heat, strong winds, rain and storms. With Helly Hansen as our outfitter and official sponsor, we are perfectly prepared for the various weather and racing conditions at the venues. The technical equipment allows the athletes to fully concentrate on racing.”
Erik Heil, driver for the Germany SailGP Team added, “It’s a great opportunity for us to develop the equipment together with the designers at Helly Hansen. This means we can adapt it perfectly to our needs for racing. Helly Hansen’s many years of experience with technical sailing apparel and our experiences on the water are an ideal combination for developing the optimal equipment for the coming season.”
The German team entered the league with a bang at the beginning of Season 4 and has impressed since its debut, with Olympian Erik Heil behind the wheel. Alongside Heil, the team includes a talented sailing lineup
with experienced wing trimmer Stuart Bithell, flight controller James Wierzbowski, and the reigning U21 World Champion in the 49er FX Anna Barth, who is the team’s strategist. Besides a stellar cast of athletes, the team boasts a star-studded ownership team, comprising Thomas Riedel, president of the eponymous leading communications company Riedel Communications, and four-time F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel.
A global leader in technical sailing apparel and official sponsor of the team, Helly Hansen is trusted by professionals all over the world, drawing on their insight and feedback to create gear with innovation, high-performance, and protection at the forefront. Partnering with the Germany SailGP Team, the Norway-based brand will continue to take inspiration from their experience to create gear that pushes the performance boundaries of the sport while also providing maximum protection in even the toughest conditions.
As Official Clothing Supplier to the Germany SailGP Team, the sailors will be provided with pinnacle pieces from Helly Hansen’s aerodynamic HydroPower collection, including the Foil Shell Smock and HP Foil Pro Bib. Racing in high-tech, high-speed F50 catamarans, the team will depend on their gear to enable them to push harder and faster, and Helly Hansen’s designers will work closely with the team to refine and test new features and designs.
The German team will open the season together with the other ten teams with the Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix on November 23, 2024. The race will visit thirteen other iconic international cities, culminating in a winner-takes-all Grand Final in November 2025.
To stay updated on the partnership between Helly Hansen and the Germany SailGP Team, visit hellyhansen.com and sailgp.com/teams/germany. Explore Helly Hansen’s existing HydroPower collection at hellyhansen.com.
About Helly Hansen
Founded in Norway in 1877, Helly Hansen continues to develop professional grade apparel that helps people stay and feel alive. Through insights drawn from living and working in the world’s harshest environments, the company has developed a long list of first-to-market innovations, including the first supple waterproof fabrics nearly 150 years ago. Other breakthroughs include the first fleece fabrics in the 1960s, the first technical base layers in the 1970s, made with LIFA® Stay Dry technology, the patented H2Flow™ temperature regulating system, and the revolutionary lighter, warmer LIFALOFT™ insulation. Building on Helly Hansen’s proprietary HELLY TECH® waterproof/breathable system, the technical outdoor brand has most recently introduced the award-winning LIFA INFINITY PRO™ – the company’s most innovative waterproof/breathable technology to date.
Helly Hansen is a leader in technical sailing and performance ski apparel, as well as premium workwear. Its uniforms are worn and trusted by more than 55,000 professionals and can be found on Olympians, National Teams, and at more than 200 ski resorts and mountain guiding operations globally.
Helly Hansen’s outerwear, base layers, sportswear and footwear are sold in more than 40 countries around the world and the company is owned by Canadian Tire Corporation (CTC). To learn more about Helly Hansen’s latest collections, visit www.hellyhansen.com.
About the Germany SailGP Team
The Germany SailGP Team was officially presented by the owners Thomas Riedel and Sebastian Vettel in May 2023 and has already completed its first season in the World Sailing League. The team is led by CEO Tim Krieglstein, former marketing manager at Red Bull Europe, and team manager Anne van der Wereld.
Thomas Riedel and four-time Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel are actively involved in advising the team. On the one hand, Sebastian Vettel is attracted by the high-tech parallels between Formula 1 and the World League of yacht racing. On the other hand, he is fascinated by the fact that the F50 racing catamarans on the water are powered by wind energy. With the Impact League, SailGP also offers a sustainability competition that is forward-looking for the team.
About the Author
Marc Williams
Amongst many other things in life Marc is an avid skier and sailor. As a former ski racer he likes to go fast and make big turns on hard snow. He is also the skipper of Run for the Roses, @sailingthepacificnw. When not on the water or in the mountains Marc owns and operates Williams Helde Marketing Communications. As a second generation owner, Marc has maintained the focus of the firm on Active, Healthy Lifestyles. Marc graduated from Western Washington University with degrees in Design and Illustration. He lives in Seattle, with two well above average kids, an amazing wife and three dogs.