Americans share lead at Formula 18 World Championship

Published on July 14th, 2015

Kiel, Germany (July 14, 2015) – The 2015 Formula 18 World Championship got underway today for the 167 teams, with winds of only 6 knots allowing for just one qualifying race completed. The field is split into two fleets for the qualifying series, with the top teams advancing to the final series to vie for the World title. Michael Easton and Tripp Burd (USA) share the overall first position with Simon Northrop and Josh O’Brien (GBR) after both teams winning in their fleets.

Michael Easton: “We had a great day on the Falcon, but there’s still lots of racing left so we just have to keep at it! The fleet is super tight all the way around so any mistakes are super costly. It was an amazing sight looking back at about 100 F18s chasing us down downwind.”

Tripp Burd: “I’m stoked for windy conditions tomorrow! Everyone’s speed will be a challenge, and it’s only day 1. So we’ll see…”

Simon Northrop: “It’s a marathon not a sprint! We had a jolly good race today, it was super to race boat on boat with world champions and Americas cup sailors. We are very happy to be in the lead of this fleet with the quality of the sailors. We are under no illusion that the rest of the regatta will be tough and are looking forward to more tight racing against the best chaps in the world. Tally ho!”