The London silver medallist admits she was hesitant about taking on the responsibility of racing in the Australian series against a field which boasts America’s Cup winners, fellow Olympians and World Champions filled after a global recruitment drive for the series.
“Competing against the best athletes of any gender in the sport – people I have looked up to is daunting,” said Price, “Although I am not intimidated by the challenge and I know the crew I have assembled can win races and upset a few of the big names.”
The 25-year old will be joined by compatriots and world champions Josh McKnight and Harry Morton on the Kleenmaid SuperFoiler for the summer Grand Prix circuit which kicks off across Australia from February 2018.
“At Kleenmaid we are thrilled to be associated with this exciting new concept which I am sure will enthral the Australian public. The skill of the teams is in harnessing the power of the SuperFoiler – it is exhilarating to watch,’ said Kleenmaid CEO Danny Hamilton, who is right behind Price’s campaign for the Ben Lexcen Trophy.
After completing her first outing on Sydney Harbour, the Kleenmaid skipper was honest about the challenges her crew will encounter controlling a machine capable of roaring beyond 80 kilometres an hour, “It is frighteningly fast, but I have every confidence we will be able to master her quickly and perform lightening manoeuvres. The safety systems are state of the art so that takes some of the stress out of it. We are right to fly this series,” said Price.
SuperFoiler COO Jack Macartney believes Olivia is a benchmark for the series - “I think this machine will have a distinct advantage. The Kleenmaid SuperFoiler weighs less than the front row of the Wallabies. With Olivia driving she will bring a finesse that will surprise many. I’m sure she will score some great results.”
Olivia’s Kleenmaid SuperFoiler will be joined on the Grand Prix circuit and on Sydney Harbour for training during December and January by five other SuperFoiler machines – all vying for glory and the storied Ben Lexcen Trophy - which will be presented to the boat with the highest cumulative total after the five regattas.
The racing will be livestreamed on Plus7 with immersive post produced coverage airing on 7mate. Channel 7 will also air a half an hour special on the SuperFoiler journey on December 26 as part of their Sydney to Hobart race coverage.
Photo Credit - Andrea Francolini
ABOUT KLEENMAID
Kleenmaid is a one hundred percent Australian owned appliance business, utilising a worldwide network of designers and engineers to create best in class products with the environment front of mind across design, build and application.
Manufactured to the highest international standards for three decades, using only the best quality materials - Kleenmaid is a household staple with more than 1.2 million Kleenmaid Appliances in service across Australia.
ABOUT SUPERFOILER
The SuperFoiler Grand Prix will be contested over five weekends at five iconic marine locations across Australia (South Australia, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia and New South Wales) from February 2018.
The Summer series will see the best sailors from around the world compete for the Ben Lexcen Trophy.