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Perfect Perth for SailGP Season Opener - Spectacular racing, damage, collisions and injuries

by Mark Jardine 18 Jan 02:21 PST 17-18 January 2026
DS Automobiles SailGP Team France leads Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team and BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team on Race Day 2 of the Oracle Perth Sail Grand Prix presented by KPMG in Perth, Australia © James Gourley for SailGP

The Oracle Perth Sail Grand Prix saw the kind of conditions that SailGP sailors and the fans relish. Small rigs, high speeds, a tight racecourse, and some spectacular racing.

There was damage with the Spanish going out in practice when the bulkheads broke around their daggerboard casing, and the Kiwis went out in the first race after a collision with the Swiss.

There were also injuries in practice, with Artemis Racing’s Chris Draper suffering a nasty gash to his bottom lip after a faceplant on the trampoline, and the Bonds Flying Roos’ Iain ‘Goods’ Jensen twisting his knee on a manoeuvre.

We take a look at the incidents, what was paying on the start, and one of the reasons that Emirates Team Great Britain took the win, with the reunited Dylan Fletcher and Stu Bithell, gold medallists in the 49er class at Tokyo 2020, celebrating a superb start to the season.

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