October 14, 2023
1 minute reading time
SailGP: New Zealand marks triumphant return with two wins in practice racing
New Zealand bounced back from its enforced racing hiatus by picking up two race wins and ending Cadiz’s practice racing at the top of the leaderboard, tied on points with ROCKWOOL DEN.
The Kiwis picked up a 1-4-1 race record across the three practice races, ending the day with 27 points. It comes after the team suffered significant wing damage at the end of the Saint-Tropez Race Day 1, which ruled them out of racing on day two and for the entire Taranto event.
The Kiwis currently sit 5th on the Season 4 Championship leaderboard and is under pressure to claw back precious points when the 5th event of the season gets underway in Cadiz.
ROCKWOOL DEN, which has had a strong season start, also performed well, picking up three 2nd place finishes in a consistent showing.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Spithill’s United States finished the day in 3rd with 23 points, picking up 4-3-3 finishes despite the absence of flight controller Hans Henken who is recovering from injuries sustained in Taranto. Former flight controller Taylor Canfield is subbing into the role this event.
Elsewhere, it was a tricky day for Quentin Delapierre’s France, which finished the day at the bottom of the leaderboard, below Canada, Switzerland and Australia.
Emirates GBR also had a rocky practice day despite coming to Cadiz from back-to-back wins in Saint-Tropez and Taranto, finishing the day in 6th. The surprise of the day was the solid performance of Erik Heil’s young German team, which finished in 5th overall. Home favorites Spain meanwhile picked up one race win and finished the day in 4th.
The Spain Sail Grand Prix | Andalucía-Cádiz takes place on October 14-15, with racing scheduled between 15:30-17:00 CEST.
Text and images courtesy of SailGP.com.