SailGP Team Frankreich 3 Siege am ersten Tag in Sydney

Quentin Delapierres Frankreich holte nach dem ersten Renntag im legendären Hafen von Sydney drei aufeinanderfolgende Rennsiege.

Die Franzosen stellten sich der Herausforderung von Windbedingungen mit 50 km/h, um die Flottenrennen zu dominieren, während die Vereinigten Staaten von Jimmy Spithill ihre Hoffnungen auf San Francisco am Leben hielten, indem sie drei zweite Plätze belegten und den zweiten Gesamtrang belegten.

Home favorites Australia meanwhile was plagued by technical issues, but still managed a respectable racing record of 3-4-6 to finish third after three fleet races.

The dramatic first day was plagued by technical issues, near capsizes, messy maneuvers and even an Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team crew member falling overboard during the first fleet race.

Emirates GBR grinder Matt Gotrel fell through the fairing of the foiling F50 catamaran as the team approached the finish line while traveling at speeds of 50 km/h.

Gotrel remained attached to the F50 via his safety line and was quickly pulled back on board by his teammates with no injuries reported. The team went on to finish the race in sixth place and picked up a record of 6-6-2 across the first day.

The first fleet race began with Australia announcing it would not be able to race due to technical issues before the gold and green F50 dramatically crossed the start line. Despite issues, the team held on throughout messy maneuvers to finish the race in third overall.

Meanwhile, Peter Burling’s New Zealand, currently second in the Championship standings, was forced to retire from the first race due to technical issues and finished the day in sixth overall, one point behind Denmark in fifth.

Elsewhere, Diego Botin’s second day behind the wheel of the Spanish F50 resulted in the team picking up a 8-5-9 racing record, with promising moments throughout.