COLCHESTER'S Adam Piggott will return to the Red Bull Sailing Team this year to compete in the Extreme Sailing Series.

Bowman Piggott contributed to the team’s medal effort last year, where they recorded a third season podium in the series.

Piggott and his crew-mates will be part of the Red Bull team returning to compete in the adrenaline-fuelled Stadium Racing circuit, spearheaded by Austrian superstars Roman Hagara and Hans Peter Steinacher.

With a combination of highly experienced sailors and talented young chargers – including a standout newcomer – the Austrian team is hungry for its first championship title.

The team will have eight Acts to out-sail the world's best in what looks to be the most competitive season yet.

Two-time Olympic gold medallists, Hagara and Steinacher, will lead Red Bull Sailing Team in what will be its seventh year competing in the Extreme Sailing Series.

The introduction of new GC32 foiling catamarans in 2016 meshed with the mindset of the Austrian innovators, who delivered a powerfully consistent campaign, resulting in podium spots in seven out of eight Acts and third place overall.

But with the level of racing in the Series at an all-time high, the foiling will be fast and furious and the Austrians will need to fly through the season if they want to clinch an elusive championship title.

Hagar said: "The 2017 season is going to be more competitive than ever before.

"To be successful, we will have to beat the two-time America's Cup champions, Alinghi".

Two of the Series' most experienced sailors leading the campaign will stand the Red Bull team in good stead.

Along with Piggott, trimmer Stewart Dodson is also returning while on mainsheet is Will Tiller, a new addition to the outfit.

He has previous experience in the Series as well as valuable match racing knowledge, having been part of the winning crew on the 2016 World Match Racing Tour.

All three are graduates of the Red Bull Youth America's Cup programme.

This year's series kicks off in Muscat, Oman, on March 8, where the teams will compete in a mix of signature Stadium Racing and coastal racing, set against the stunning backdrop of Muscat's Old Town.

Ahead of Act 1 of the Extreme Sailing Series, the team will also compete in the inaugural GC32 Championship.

Returning to the crew alongside the experienced Austrian duo are trimmer Stewart Dodson and bowman Adam Piggott, who both contributed to Red Bull Sailing Team’s medal effort last year.