Manchester’s Apadmi reveal today that they’re the mobile tech team behind the next generation app for SailGP, the global sailing championship that kicked off last month in Sydney.
Spearheaded by Larry Ellison and Sir Russell Coutts, SailGP’s inaugural season brings intensely competitive, high-speed inshore racing to fans in Sydney, San Francisco, New York, Cowes UK and Marseille, as world-class crews compete for the championship trophy and a $1million prize.
The innovative SailGP app creates a next level spectator experience, at the event and at home. It allows fans to truly personalise what they watch and which boat to follow, bringing them closer to the sport than ever before. They’ll be able to view live data and video, track performance, compare athletes, change viewing angles, zoom in on the action and watch replays.
SailGP’s inaugural season features six teams, Australia, China, France, Great Britain, Japan and the United States, racing on identical 50-foot foiling catamarans. A new boat class, the F50 is the most technologically advanced catamaran and fastest race boat in the world. The F50s are expected to break sailing’s elusive 50-knot (60mph/100kph) barrier.
“These are the fastest race boats in sailing, and SailGP will redefine the sport. Our challenge was to create an app that was just as ground-breaking. We’ve crashed through things we didn’t realise were possible to do,” said Apadmi’s CCO Matt Hunt. “To create a world-first app, for a worldwide audience, with a world-class team has been an amazing experience for all of us.”
With instant access to more than 1,200 data channels, the app delivers unprecedented insight into the revolutionary new sailing championship. The unique split screen feature enables the viewer to compare two teams side by side, and delve into the detail of what makes the unique super boats fly.
“We really wanted to challenge ourselves with how we present the content and data coming off the boats and show it in a way that truly enhances the fan experience and allows them to be as much a part of the racing as possible,” said Coutts, SailGP CEO.
“This is the first time the data and live streams are available to everyone – fans, teams, broadcasters, coaches and race management – and we really hope it will attract new people to the sport, educate emerging fans and generally make SailGP interesting for a wide range of people.”
