Kiwis dominate Copenhagen SailGP 2022

While it was a rocky start for ROCKWOOL Denmark Sail Grand Prix in Copenhagen (August 19-20), the clearing smoke revealed a comprehensive beat down by New Zealand SailGP Team which won every race to claim their second consecutive stage win.

The training days exposed hidden rocks which damaged both Spain and Great Britain, with the later unable to race. While the Spanish were able to make overnight repairs, their final results of all last place finishes showed a team still limping.

The event also got off with a limp as grumpy weather had fans enduring a chilly rain while the F50s drifted along in postponement, with a hopeful forecast never achieved. The made-for-television format could produce only pre-broadcast features and practice races from the prior day.

The league called an audible, holding three races on day two, with those results advancing the Kiwis along with France and Denmark in the finale. It was France’s debut appearance in an event final, and they showed well in front of the Danish team’s home crowd.

After winning the first two SailGP seasons, the Australian team has seen their performance advantage shrink, notably done so by neighboring New Zealand.

“It’s amazing to see the team come together and win four races in a row,” shared Kiwi helm Peter Burling. “We had some good opportunities at the start of the races, and to be honest the race is easy when you’re leading at mark one, we had all the time and space in the world.”

For France driver Quentin Delapierre, they are eager to continue their progress ahead of their home event at the France Sail Grand Prix in Saint-Tropez next month.

“It’s an amazing feeling to make this first final for me to be honest, the team worked really hard to get to this point where we are all on the same page together and we are really happy,” noted Delapierre. “We are ready to keep this momentum going for the rest of the season now.”

It was a mixed bag for Canada which seeks to regain the form they showed early in the season. “We didn’t get off the line in any of the races,” admitted Canadian helm Phil Robertson. “We were sort of stuck in the pack which made for a tricky racetrack. I also think we struggled to find our rhythm.”

For the USA, they are still looking to regain the prominence they demonstrated last season. “Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to put three good races together,” said USA helm Jimmy Spithill. “We had one good race, and made good recoveries in the others but we still need the entire package, and that’s on all of us. It’s not one area in the team; we all still need to make improvements.”

Next up for the league is France Sail Grand Prix in Saint-Tropez on September 10-11.

SailGP information – Denmark details – Season 3 scoreboard – Facebook – How to watch

Denmark SailGP Final Results
1. New Zealand, 1-1-1-(1), 10 points
2. France, 6-4-2-(2), 9 points
3. Denmark, 3-2-3-(3), 8 points
4. Australia, 5-3-4, 7 points
5. United States, 2-6-6, 6 points
6. Canada, 4-5-7, 5 points
7. Switzerland, 7-7-5, 4 points
8. Spain, 8-8-8, 3 points
9. Great Britain, 9-9-9, 2 points

Season Three Standings (after four events)
1. Australia, 36 points
2. New Zealand, 32 points
3. Denmark, 28 points
4. Canada, 27 points
5. Great Britain, 26 points
6. France, 24 points
7. United States, 19 points
8. Switzerland, 11 points
9. Spain, 11 points

2022-23 SailGP Season 3 Schedule
May 14-15, 2022 – Bermuda Sail Grand Prix presented by Hamilton Princess
June 18-19, 2022 – United States Sail Grand Prix | Chicago at Navy Pier
July 30-31, 2022 – Great Britain Sail Grand Prix | Plymouth
August 19-20, 2022 – ROCKWOOL Denmark Sail Grand Prix | Copenhagen
September 10-11, 2022 – France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez
September 24-25, 2022 – Spain Sail Grand Prix | Andalucía – Cádiz
November 12-13, 2022 – Dubai Sail Grand Prix presented by P&O Marinas
January 13-14, 2023 – Singapore Sail Grand Prix
February 17-18, 2023 – Australia Sail Grand Prix | Sydney
March 17-18, 2023 – New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch
May 6-7, 2023 – United States Sail Grand Prix | San Francisco (Season 3 Grand Final)

Format for 2022-23 SailGP events:
• Teams compete in identical F50 catamarans.
• Each event runs across two days.
• There are three races on each day, totaling six races at each event.
• The opening five fleet races involve every team.
• The final match race pits the three highest ranking teams against each other to be crowned event champion and earn the largest share of the $300,000 prize money to be split among the top three teams.
• The season ends with the Grand Final, which includes the Championship Final Race – a winner-takes-all match race for the $1m prize.

For competition documents, click here.

Established in 2018, SailGP seeks to be an annual, global sports league featuring fan-centric inshore racing in some of the iconic harbors around the globe. Rival national teams compete in identical F50 catamarans for event prize money as the season culminates with a $1 million winner-takes-all match race.

Source: SailGP