Split fleet racing once again took place in practice racing, with the 11-boat fleet split into two groups; Group A and Group B.
Group A consisted of Los Angeles winners NorthStar Canada, Switzerland, Germany Deutsche Bank, Spain and Emirates GBR while Group B saw the United States, Mubadala Brazil, Red Bull Italy, New Zealand, Australia and France go head to head.
ROCKWOOL DEN has already been ruled out of racing this weekend after hitting a race mark in Los Angeles and sustaining damage too severe to repair in time.
A lighter breeze swept the course as Group A took to the course, with Switzerland, NorthStar Canada and Emirates GBR too eager at the start line, resulting in early start penalties for all three teams.
Switzerland and Germany went on to tussle for the lead, with Germany briefly losing it to the Swiss before regaining it on the penultimate leg to pick up a race win. Meanwhile, last season’s champions Spain struggled in the first race of the day, splashing down on the approach to the finish line to finish the first race in last. Despite coming fourth overall, it was Emirates GBR which picked up the highest flight time of the race; 81%.
Next up, Group B lined up for the start, with the unstable sea state continuing to cause issues for flight controllers.
Once again, there were early start penalties – this time handed out to Red Bull Italy and New Zealand for crossing the start line early. After inheriting New Zealand’s lead at Mark 1, the Aussies stretched away to gain a 300m lead, sweeping across the line in an effortless performance, followed by France and the United States.
The second race for Group A saw another OCS handed out to Switzerland, while Emirates GBR executed perfect start line timing to exceed 90 km/h on the reach to Mark 1.
Switzerland refused to give up however and dived inside the British F50 at the mark to the tease the lead, before being overtaken themselves by Spain, which picked up the race win. Switzerland and NorthStar Canada rounded out the top three, with the Canadians recording a perfect 100% fly time.
As the second race for Group B got underway, the breeze had filled in to a strong 30 km/h, making foiling maneuvers much easier for crews to execute.
A blistering start saw the Kiwis take the lead at Mark 1, with Australia hot on their heels. However, New Zealand flew too high, resulting in the team crashing down in a dramatic nosedive, handing the lead to Australia. France meanwhile went from 4th to 2nd in one move.
In the end, it was the Aussies who picked up two wins from two races, while France and the United States once again rounded out the top three.
Official racing in the Oracle San Francisco Sail Grand Prix gets underway on March 22/23, with racing from about 10:30am Sunday here in New Zealand.
