U.S. SailGP Team poised for podium push in Cádiz
by Laura Muma 25 Sep 2022 09:52 NZST
September 24-25, 2022
Jimmy Spithill quipped that the unpredictable waves made for an 'up and down day', but American fans could not tell, as the U.S. SailGP Team delivered a consistent 3 - 5 - 4 score line during Saturday's Spain Sail Grand Prix | Andalucía - Cádiz presented by NEAR.
The U.S. team currently sits in fourth place, just one point away from qualifying for the coveted 'podium final' position heading into tomorrow.
USA SailGP Team helmed by Jimmy Spithill on Race Day 1 of the Spain Sail Grand Prix in Cadiz, Andalusia, Spain. 24th September 2022. Photo: Bob Martin for SailGP. Handout image supplied by SailGP
"We knew that we couldn't push as hard as we wanted to today," said Spithill, U.S. SailGP Team Driver and CEO. "So we were trying to be as consistent as we could be. We knew we were going to have moments and that the fleet would have moments, so we were really trying to stay cool and recover and get back into the race."
To manage today's conditions, Spithill said the team primarily focused on clean maneuvers. "Any boat that could do a clean jibe coming out of Mark 1 was generally in good shape," he said. "It's very hard to sail in that swell; it's some of the hardest conditions for the flight controller because it's very difficult to see when a bad wave is coming. Hans [Henken, Flight Controller] did an awesome job."
Sunday's planned race format returns to two fleet races prior to the podium final race, putting a premium on another consistent performance to move the team into contention for the final race.
For Sunday, live racing action from the Spain Sail Grand Prix begins at 10 a.m. EDT on SailGP's Youtube channel.