SailGP: Black Foils make their first Event Final of Season 6
by James Rigby 23 Aug 20:57 PDT
Black Foils SailGP Team driven by Peter Burling on Race Day 1 of the ROCKWOOL Germany Sail Grand Prix © Ricardo Pinto for SailGP
New Zealand's Black Foils finished fourth at the Rockwool Germany Sail Grand Prix in Sassnitz, in their first event final of the season.
The result came after the Black Foils topped Group A by three points, winning two of their five group races. Victory in the first of Sunday’s two races secured their place in the final with a race to spare.
Fourth was the Black Foils’ best result of the season.
“On the whole, it’s a performance we should be really proud of,” Black Foils co-CEO and wing trimmer Blair Tuke said.
“We sailed the best we have in those windy conditions in the fleet races to get ourselves into the final as top qualifier. It’s mixed feelings when you miss out on winning or getting on the podium, but all in all it was a great effort by the team this weekend.”
Australia’s Bonds Flying Roos led the four-boat final from the start and were never caught in a race shaped by driving rain and a rapidly changing breeze. The Black Foils rounded the first mark third and remained in the chase.
The wind died almost completely as the three boats behind Australia approached the finish, leaving all three off their foils and reducing the final run to a crawl. A penalty for not keeping clear of Spain’s Los Gallos left the Black Foils fourth, with Canada’s NorthStar second and Los Gallos third.
With gusts reaching 40 km/h and rain reducing visibility across the racecourse, Tuke said the final had been difficult to read.
“The Australians had a great start and were gone almost from that first gybe point. That second upwind got really difficult, it got really hard staying on the foils, and it all came together at that last top mark. We came out worse for wear there, and we definitely have to review that one internally.”
The Flying Roos’ fifth win of the season extended their championship lead over Los Gallos to 14 points. The event drew 15,000 spectators across the weekend.
With the Spain Sail Grand Prix in Valencia following just 13 days later, on 5 and 6 September, Tuke said the team would carry confidence from Sassnitz into the next event.
“We’ll regroup quickly and look ahead to Valencia. There are plenty of opportunities for us to keep improving in all areas, and hopefully we can pull one together and try and win one of these events.”