ROCKWOOL Racing are in pole position after the first four fleet races of the DP World Spain Sail Grand Prix. Emirates GBR sit second on the event leaderboard – just one point behind ROCKWOOL Racing – while New Zealand, Germany and Switzerland find themselves in a ‘battle for third’ heading into day two – sitting third, fourth and fifth, respectively.
All 12 international teams battled wavy waters, competing with four on board to make the most of the light breeze. Getting off the line proved critical, with teams stuck in the pack plagued by disturbed air – struggling to read the conditions through significant waves and chop.
Comments From SailGP Sailors – Day 1 of the DP World Spain Sail Grand Prix
Comments from Diego Botin (driver – Spain SailGP Team), Nicole Van Der Velden (strategist – Spain SailGP Team), Hannah Mills (strategist – Emirates GBR SailGP Team), Dylan Fletcher – (driver – Emirates GBR SailGP Team), Nicolai Sehested (driver – Rockwool Denmark SailGP Team), Kahena Kunze (strategist – Rockwool Denmark SailGP Team), Liv Mackay – (strategist – Black Foils New Zealand SailGP Team), Peter Burling (driver – Black Foils New Zealand SailGP Team), Tom Slingsby (driver – Bonds Flying Roos Australia SailGP Team), Sébastien Schneiter – (driver – Switzerland SailGP Team), Taylor Canfield (driver – US SailGP Team) and Giles Scott (driver – Northstar Canada SailGP Team).
Fleet race one went the way of the Brits, who finished ahead of Switzerland in second and the U.S. SailGP Team in third. The win marked the start of a consistent opening day for Emirates GBR, who came away with a first, two fifths and a second in conditions that strategist Hannah Mills likened to racing “on a knife’s edge”.
“We had to fight right to the end,” continued Mills. “One small mistake, one drop in a maneuver, and it’s so much easier to get it wrong when there are only four of you on the boat. Add in the waves and the chop, and you always feel like anything can happen. You just can’t stop pushing until you’re over it.”
Elsewhere in race one, the BONDS Flying Roos and Black Foils found themselves locked in a familiar trans-Tasman battle. Australia was handed out a boundary penalty after forcing the Kiwis off the foils, with both teams losing significant ground – eventually finishing 9th and 11th, respectively.
“Today it really came down to the starts,” said BONDS Flying Roos driver Tom Slingsby, “We had a couple of bad ones and in this kind of light wind, if you’re behind off the line there’s just not enough breeze to foil and get back into it.”
New Zealand bounced back in race two, finishing second behind ROCKWOOL Racing in first. Spain finished third – their best result of the day. Race three went the way of the Australians, ahead of Denmark in second and Germany SailGP Team presented by Deutsche Bank in third.
In fleet race four, ROCKWOOL Racing claimed their second race win of the day, sailing to victory ahead of Emirates GBR in second and New Zealand in third. Driver Nicolai Sehested said, “In Cádiz, strategy is pretty simple — you’ve got to get a good left turn at the bottom and a clean turn at the top. If you get that, it’s an easy race. If you end up stuck in the pack, it becomes a bit of a gamble with painful jibes and tough maneuvers.”
Despite holding the league’s top speed record, ROCKWOOL Racing have yet to make an event final this season. “It’s been a tough season for us,” said Sehested, “So making our first final of the year would mean a lot. We had plenty last season, but none this year, and it would be a good reminder that we’re heading in the right direction. Sometimes you just need that pat on the shoulder to keep pushing.”
Sold-out crowds enjoyed the action from the purpose-built Race Stadium, with thousands more thronging to the seawall to catch a glimpse of the action. Home team Spain find themselves with work to do heading into day two. Seventh on the event leaderboard, the defending Rolex SailGP Champions need a big result tomorrow to salvage not only the weekend – but their hopes of a spot in the winner-takes-all Grand Final in Abu Dhabi.
The DP World Spain Sail Grand Prix continues tomorrow at 3.30pm CEST Sunday October 5. The action will be broadcast live in Spain on Movistar. Find out more at SailGP.com/Watch.
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