Team Brady Claim First Win of the Season in Angola and Extend Championship Lead

Team Brady delivered a statement performance in Luanda, securing their first win of the season and extending their championship lead to 40 points heading into the Miami finale.

Because of debris in the water, teams went straight into Friday Qualifying without any practice sessions and each pilot only had their four qualifying attempts to find fastest laps on unfamiliar water. Team Brady felt the effects, ending the day in P7 with work to do.

In the first group race, Sam fought from P4 up to P2 with a strong start and sharp strategy, setting Emma up in P2 for the crucial second group race and a shot at the finals. Emma made the most of it, leading from the start and bringing the boat home safely to secure the win and Team Brady's place in the finals.

Final 1 saw the team run an alternate strategy after losing ground at the start, with Sam’s win putting Emma on pole position. Emma made a strong start, leading from the first buoy and stretching her advantage with an early short lap. Despite catching traffic from back-markers Team Aoki, she held her nerve to take a close finish with Team Monaco and clinch Team Brady's first win of the season, and one that extends their championship lead to 40 points.

Attention now turns to Miami, where the season concludes with a double-header on 13 - 14 November.

Emma Kimiläinen, Team Brady Pilot, added: "The team executed the strategy perfectly today, we knew exactly what we needed to do at the start. From there it was just about keeping the boat stable, which was tougher than it sounds because the wind had picked up and it was really wavy out there. It feels amazing to win, because that's the one thing we've been chasing all season and hadn't managed yet. We've taken five podiums from five races so far, with two still to come in Miami."

Sam Coleman, Team Brady Pilot, said: "Just amazing, I'm so proud of the team. We knew the final would be tight because we kept getting trapped behind Aoki, it wasn’t their fault but we were sitting in their wash and haemorrhaging time. It got tighter and tighter but Emma managed it brilliantly. To turn things around from a P7 in qualifying yesterday to this is an incredible job from the whole team, we knew it would be different come race day, and it was. This is the whole team's trophy."