Damien Smith

—Editor in Chief

Damien has spent more than 30 years working as a journalist and editor, specialising predominantly in motor sport. He is a former editor of Motor Sport and editor-in-chief of Autosport, and author of Benetton: Rebels of Formula 1.

SailGP heading to Rome for fresh Italian round in 2027

Rome is the surprise venue for SailGP’s new round in Italy next year, it has been announced. The addition of an Italian round was revealed last week when the series unveiled the schedule for what will be the seventh season of...

Ex-F1 team chief Horner joins GB1 investor in advisory role

Christian Horner, the former team principal of the Red Bull Formula 1 team, has joined the private equity investor behind Sir Ben Ainslie’s GB1 America’s Cup team. The deal with Oakley Capital opens up the possibility of Horner,...

Naples to host second AC38 prelim in September

Naples, the host city for the 38th America’s Cup next year, will be the venue for a second Preliminary Regatta in 2026. The event will be held on September 24 to 26, as a curtain-raiser for the first America’s Cup to be held in...

IMAGE_ Hong Kong Sail Grand Prix Official Launch 1

Hong Kong opens 13-round 2027 SailGP season

A new race in Hong Kong will kick off the 2027 SailGP season, the global sailing series has confirmed as it releases a provisional schedule for next year. The event in Victoria Harbour, against the backdrop of one of the world’s...

37AC_230917_RP1_2966 Ricardo Pinto : America's Cup

Sky to broadcast 38th America’s Cup – starting this weekend

Sky will broadcast the 38th America’s Cup, beginning with the first preliminary regatta taking place this weekend in Sardinia. The all-in deal includes any other future prelim regattas, the Louis Vuitton Cup Challenger Series and...

Australians confirm AC38 challenge as GB1 name prelim line-up

The race for the 38th America’s Cup in 2027 is hotting up – if you hadn’t already noticed – as a double-whammy of news broke on Tuesday afternoon. First, the worst-kept AC secret is officially out, as featured on The Foil in the...

Ashby breaks leg as bad luck strikes again for France

DS Automobiles Team France wing trimmer Glenn Ashby suffered a badly broken leg in a fall ahead of the start of race two at the Bermuda Sail Grand Prix on Saturday. The Australian, 48, lost his footing crossing the French F50’s...

Ineos vs Athena: What we’ve learnt so far

It’s all too real, and it’s a dispute that won’t be drifting away quietly on the wind. That much is evident after viewing court papers filed in April by Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos group against Sir Ben Ainslie’s Athena Racing...