SailGP to split the fleet for Sunday races

SailGP race officer Iain Murray has decided to split the fleet into two groups for Sunday’s concluding fleet races before the three-boat final at the New Zealand Grand Prix in Auckland.

While The Foil hasn’t yet heard the reasons why, it must surely come off the back of Saturday’s catastrophic start to Race 3 (subsequently abandoned), when New Zealand and France suffered a major collision along the long reach from the start to Mark One.

Already at past events last season and in Perth earlier this year, the race management has put the fleet into split groups for Friday’s practice sessions to reduce traffic on the race course. This has long been mooted as a possibility for proper racing, and today’s the day we see it used for the first time. 

Bearing in mind the forecast is for the same or even more wind from the same treacherously gusty direction off the Central Business District, the change of format is likely to be well received by the 11 remaining teams in the competition.

Strangely, France and New Zealand are listed in the line-up for Group A, even though there’s no prospect of them being on the water today.

Intended Schedule:
11:42 - 11:50 Race 3 (Group A)
11:58 - 12:06 Race 4 (Group B)
12:11 - 12:19 Race 5 (Group A)
12:27 - 12:35 Race 6 (Group B)
12:43 - 12:51 Final•

• All local times

Group Assignments:

Group A: FRA, NZL, GBR, GER, BRA, CAN, ITA

Group B: AUS, ESP, DEN, SWE, SUI, USA