SailGP: Spain make history by claiming first ever event win in Los Angeles

Diego Botin’s young crew overcame light wind conditions by minimizing maneuvers and sailing the shortest distance to trounce ROCKWOOL Denmark and Australia in front of sell-out shoreside crowds.

While ROCKWOOL Denmark made the best start, it was Spain which popped up on the foils first to secure the all-important inside angle to Mark 1. But the race was far from over. It was a nerve-racking fight to the finish, with both Australia and Nicolai Sehested’s Danish crew rising onto the foils and chasing down Spain’s lead.

Despite this, it was Spain that demonstrated masterful tactical nous – performing just nine maneuvers to ROCKWOOL Denmark’s 12 and Australia’s 16.

The win came after Spain scrapped into the Final with a one-point margin over Canada – that means the team managed to convert its first Final into a first event win in four seasons.

The win follows a period of upheaval and uncertainty for the young crew – with former flight controller Diego Botin only becoming driver in February and racing in the role for the first time in Sydney last season.

Speaking on board the Spanish F50 shortly after crossing the finish line, Botin said: “We’ve been through a tough process and had some tough times, and obviously this is a huge motivation for us to win an event.”

He added that while the team knows ‘we are behind the top teams in many areas’, the event win would prove ‘massive motivation’ to ‘keep our heads up’. “We are looking forward to the future,” he added.

Fleet racing

The second day of the Oracle Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix played host to capricious wind conditions that put pressure on the wing trimmers to harness the power of the largest 29m wing.

Spain came into Race Day 2 in fourth overall and kicked the day off with a bang – winning the fourth fleet race by shutting out Season 3 champions Australia.

But it wasn’t smooth sailing for the team in the final fleet race of the event. The Spanish picked up two penalties for infringing France while Canada rose through the ranks to threaten their spot in the Final. But Spain managed to recover two positions in the nick of time – scraping into the three-boat, shootout by just one-point.

Elsewhere, it was a devastating day for Emirates GBR, which entered the second day in a commanding second place position to pick up a ninth and eighth place finishes and crash out of the event in 6th place.

Meanwhile, Season 3 runner up New Zealand was not on form all weekend and finished the event in an uncharacteristic sixth overall, while Quentin Delapierre’s France slipped down to seventh.

Home favorites the United States had an improved showing, picking up a second place finish in the final fleet race to finish fifth overall.

The 10-strong F50 fleet will next meet at the France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez on 9-10 September .

Text and images courtesy of SailGP.com.