Please select your home edition
Edition
KZRaceFurlers

SailGP: US team moves up Season Points after ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix mayhem

by Laura Muma/US SailGP team 24 Mar 15:18 PDT 23-24 March 2024
USA SailGP Team helmed by Taylor Canfield in action during a practice session ahead of the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix in Christchurch,Thursday March 21 © Ricardo Pinto/SailGP

Sunday's racing delivered more than enough action to cement SailGP's tagline as 'the most exciting race on water;' and even experienced racing fans are still digesting what took place at the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix.

The home team New Zealand claimed the win, while the United States SailGP Team finished in eighth place, moving them into sixth place in the overall season standings.

The mayhem started with a three-boat pile up between Denmark, Canada and the United States before the start of Race 1. The American F50 was on the receiving end as the Danes barreled into the Canadians, who then bore down on the U.S. SailGP Team's F50. All boats sustained significant damage of varying degrees but were able to continue racing.

Regarding the altercation, CEO and Strategist Mike Buckley was outspoken about what took place. "The Danish and Canadians both had to know that there were eight other F50's through their wings when they recklessly came ripping down the start box and crashed into us," he said. "We are lucky that no one was seriously injured."

Just moments later at the first turning mark, the Australians had to sacrifice their boat and run over the stationary finish mark, rather than collide with the Canadians. It was a split-second decision by Australian SailGP Team Driver Tom Slingsby to choose athlete safety first and foremost, but the collision caused serious damage to the Australian green and gold boat, finishing their race day before it really began. The imposed boat damage penalty points also knocked them off the overall Season 4 leaderboard throne [note, Australia has requested a penalty point review].

Taylor Canfield, the U.S. SailGP Team driver, put it mildly when he said today's racing was "Really intense. It was epic racing conditions and the crowds were great. Our learning curve is so steep but we are still in the phase of making mistakes, which makes it hard to stay in the front of the pack."

This is just the fourth event together for the team, who is desperate for on-water training time. Between Saturday's racing canceled due to mammals in the area, to poor wind conditions and boat issues, Canfield calculates in total the team has only had four days practicing in foiling conditions.

"Today felt like one of those days where you take three steps forward and two back," said Wing Trimmer Victor Diaz de Leon. "We went out feeling really good at first, and as competitors today's performance is a tough pill to swallow. However, while the results don't reflect it, the team did make a lot of progress today and we'll take today's learnings to improve."

Buckley echoed Diaz de Leon. "On the positive side, Taylor is starting the boat really well and we are leaving New Zealand with our F50 and team in one piece, which many of the other teams are not," he said. "We will keep pushing, learning from the data and improving our maneuvers and communications, especially during the hectic moments around the race track."

While the new American team is digesting Sunday's learnings, the focus is on the final Season 4 push. "North American tour here we come!" said Canfield. "We are looking forward to awesome venues like Bermuda, which is up next. It will be nice to have a short flight from the U.S., and we're expecting the US fans to turn out in force to cheer us on."

How to watch:

U.S. fans can watch the Super Sunday on replay on SailGP YouTube channel at any time.

ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch

1 - New Zealand
2 - France
3 - Canada
4 - Spain
5 - Germany
6 - Switzerland
7 - Emirates GBR*
8 - United States
9 - Rockwool Denmark*
10 - Australia*

Event penalties from SailGP Lyttelton

  • Emirates Great Britain penalized eight points for making contact with Switzerland SailGP Team during practice racing
  • Australia SailGP Team penalized 12 points for making contact causing boat damage with racecourse mark during Fleet Race 1. Review in process.
  • Rockwool Denmark penalized eight points for making contact with Canada SailGP Team during Fleet Race 1

SailGP Season 4 Overall Leaderboard (after 9 of 13 events)

1 - New Zealand - 68
2 - Australia - 59
3 - Spain - 55
4 - France - 54
5 - Rockwell Denmark - 50
6 - USA - 48
7 - Canada - 46
8 - Emirates GBR - 45
9 - Germany - 27
10 - Switzerland - 22

Season penalties:

  • Australia SailGP Team - docked eight points in Season Championship for 12-point penalty at ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch
  • Canada SailGP Team - docked four points in Season Championship for eight-point penalty at France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez
  • Emirates Great Britain - docked four points in Season Championship for eight-point penalty at ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch
  • Germany SailGP Team - docked two points in Season Championship for four-point penalty at Oracle Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix
  • ROCKWOOL Denmark - docked four points in Season Championship for eight-point penalty at ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch
  • Spain SailGP Team - docked two points in Season Championship for four-point penalty at Spain Sail Grand Prix | Andalucía - Cádiz
  • Switzerland SailGP Team - docked four points in Season Championship for eight-point penalty at Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix

Redress:

  • New Zealand SailGP Team - granted six event points for Rockwool Italy Sail Grand Prix | Taranto as unable to compete due to wing damage suffered at France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez

Related Articles

U.S. SailGP Team and Tommy Hilfiger partnership
Official Lifestyle Apparel Partner of the team Furthering the brand's legacy of breaking conventions by merging fashion and sport, the partnership kicks off for the league's 2025 season with the ambition to redefine fashion's role in sailing - and sailing's role in pop culture. Posted on 21 Jun
SailGP Season 4 Grand Final details
The ultimate battle will unfold over two days of racing on San Francisco Bay The ultimate battle will unfold over two days of racing (July 13 - 14) on San Francisco Bay, with the global league crowning the winner in one final USD $2 million race. Posted on 14 Jun
US SailGP team skipper "incredibly frustrated"
Hitting out at decision to keep two teams off the water US SailGP team skipper says the team is incredibly frustrated with the decision by event organisers not to launch two teams, both privately owned, excluding them from competing on Day 2. High winds early in the day and a lack of time are blamed. Posted on 3 Jun
US SailGP Team keen to get racing
After a regatta ending capsize in Bermuda, the US team are ready to bounce back in Halifax Returning to competition for the first time since crashing in Bermuda, Taylor Canfield and team are fired up to kick off to the North American leg of the SailGP Season 4 tour, the Rockwool Canada Sail Grand Prix in Halifax. Posted on 1 Jun
SailGP: Spectacular on board video of USA capsize
USA SailGP team has released spectacular on-board video coverage of their capsize in Bermuda USA SailGP team has released spectacular on-board video coverage of their capsize in Bermuda in Friday's third Practice session. Surprisingly given the violence of the capsize, none of the crew were injured. Posted on 4 May
Evan Aras joins U.S. SailGP Team
Former two-time national champion at Georgetown University joins as interim head coach The United States SailGP Team has announced Evan Aras as interim head coach, replacing Mark Ivey. Aras will make his coaching debut in Bermuda at the Apex Bermuda Sail Grand Prix. Posted on 24 Apr
U.S. SailGP Team rallies for a strong finish
A challenging weekend at the KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix A third-place finish closed out a challenging weekend on Sydney Harbor for the recently revamped United States SailGP Team, competing in the eighth event of SailGP's Season 4 at the KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix. Posted on 25 Feb
U.S. SailGP Team prepares for Sydney
A much different affair than the previous two Middle Eastern light-air events Eight events into the 13-event season, the United States SailGP Team is in third place on the overall leaderboard, bolstered by its third-place finish in last month's Abu Dhabi event. Next up: The KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix in Sydney. Posted on 23 Feb
Third place for U.S. SailGP Team in Abu Dhabi
Moving USA into podium position on Season 4 leaderboard In a light-air contest on the Persian Gulf, the United States SailGP Team secured a third-place finish at the first-ever Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix presented by the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, behind New Zealand and Spain. Posted on 14 Jan
Strong start for U.S. SailGP Team in Abu Dhabi
Third place after day 1 of the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix In just the second event with the revamped roster, Taylor Canfield and the United States SailGP Team are in third place - just two points out of first - after Day One of the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix presented by the Abu Dhabi Sports Council. Posted on 13 Jan
C-Tech 2021 SnuffAir 728x90 BOTTOMPredictWind - GPS 728x90 BOTTOM2024 fill-in (bottom)