February 18, 2023
2 minutes reading time
The fleet races with the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the background on Race Day 1 of the KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix in Sydney, Australia. Saturday 18th February 2023. Photo: Chloe Knott for SailGP. Handout image supplied by SailGP
SailGP: France overcomes gusty conditions to seal hat-trick of race wins
Quentin Delapierre’s France overcame volatile wind conditions to pick up three consecutive race wins on the first day of chaotic racing on Sydney Harbour.
The French rose to the challenge of gusty 50 km/h wind conditions to dominate fleet racing, while Jimmy Spithill’s United States kept their San Francisco hopes alive by picking up three second place positions and finishing in second overall.
Home favorites Australia meanwhile was plagued by technical issues, but still managed a respectable racing record of 3-4-6 to finish third after three fleet races.
The dramatic first day was plagued by technical issues, near capsizes, messy maneuvers and even an Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team crew member falling overboard during the first fleet race.
Emirates Team GBR grinder Matt Gotrel fell through the fairing of the foiling F50 catamaran as the team approached the finish line while traveling at speeds of 50 km/h. Gotrel remained attached to the F50 via his safety line and was quickly pulled back on board by his teammates with no injuries reported. The team went on to finish the race in sixth place and picked up a record of 6-6-2 across the first day.
The first fleet race began with Australia announcing it would not be able to race due to technical issues before the gold and green F50 dramatically crossed the start line. Despite issues, the team held on throughout messy maneuvers to finish the race in third overall.
Meanwhile, Peter Burling’s New Zealand, currently second in the Championship standings, was forced to retire from the first race due to technical issues and finished the day in sixth overall, one point behind Denmark in fifth.
Elsewhere, Diego Botin’s second day behind the wheel of the Spanish F50 resulted in the team picking up a 8-5-9 racing record, with promising moments throughout.
After racing today at the KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix in Sydney, a major weather event occurred that has resulted in significant damage to the wing sails and at least one boat at the SailGP technical site.
As far as is known, no one was seriously injured during the incident. As a result of the damage, SailGP has had to cancel racing for the second day of the Sydney event.
Text and images courtesy of SailGP.com