SailGP finally made it to South America. On Saturday, Guanabara Bay lived up to pre-race expectations and gave the fleet everything except the one thing that matters most. The wind was light, patchy, and at times almost nothing, and four races ran in conditions that kept the F50s off the foils more than anyone would have liked. After a slow Sydney, Rio day one was another frustrating reminder of how much this racing depends on the good wind speed.
Four races ran, four different winners, but the scorecards were shaped as much by penalties, protests and dying pressure as by genuine boat speed. Heading into the second day of racing it is Tom Slingsby and the Bonds Flying Roos who sit on top of the Rio standings with 28 points, USA second on 27 points, and Artemis third on 26 points. Each of the top three separated by one point.
Tomorrow brings three more fleet races and then the final, and the hope around the fleet is that Guanabara Bay finds some more breeze.
The New Zealand team remain onshore, still waiting on a replacement F50 after Amokura was written off during the first race of the SailGP Auckland event. The usable parts from the wrecked hull were donated to the French squad, who returned to racing in Rio after missing the Sydney event entirely while their boat was rebuilt. France came back short-handed, two crew members still recovering from the Auckland collision with the Black Foils, with Black Foils sailor Liv McKay stepping in to help. Peter Burling, grounded while his boat is repaired, joined the broadcast team and watched on while the fleet went racing without him.
Mubadala Brazil suffered a cruel blow on home waters, technical issues keeping them off the start line for the first and second races. By Race 3 they were back, but the points already dropped in the opening two races left them well down the standings.
Race 1: Artemis set the tone
Race 1 belonged to Sweden’s Artemis Racing. Canada and Italy were penalised at the start. Outteridge, as driver, threaded into a gap near the line, got the boat flying with about nine seconds to spare and drove clear. Wing trimmer Chris Draper was outstanding in the tricky, fading pressure, keeping the boat connected to the foils while others dropped off. The lead stretched at every mark, and Artemis crossed the line well clear.
Behind them, Slingsby charged from fifth to second on the final downwind leg, picking his way through in conditions that rewarded patience and route selection more than outright pace. The BOND Flying Roos finished 49 secods behind Artemis’ convincing win. Nine points banked and the BOND Flying Roos immediately in the hunt.
USA and France finished third and fourth, separated by four seconds. Emirates GBR retired from Race 1 with a foil problem, and scored nothing.
Race 2: Los Gallos celebrate new ownership
Race 2 went to Los Gallos Spain and Diego Botin, who arrived in Rio under new ownership and wasted no time on the water. GBR picked up a prestart penalty at the gun and were buried from the opening seconds, eventually finishing sixth after a string of protests that went nowhere. Spain led from mark one and won by nine seconds over Sweden, with Germany third, another 20 seconds behind. Behind the top three, the US, followed by Canada and GBR just six seconds apart.
The race drew a string of protests. Sweden twice, Canada once, Switzerland twice, GBR once at the finish. All dismissed. The lack of breeze was pushing boats together all afternoon, and the protest log showed it.
Race 3: Robertson and Red Bull Italy break through
Race 3 brought all twelve boats to the line for the first time in Rio, Brazil finally sorted and the home crowd with a full fleet to watch. The start was a shambles. No boat looked clean crossing the line, France an extraordinary 37 seconds adrift at mark one, Canada over a minute back, GBR 51 seconds behind. Italy was third to the first mark just 3.2 seconds off the pace, threading through the mess to slot into contention from the opening leg.
Denmark led early, Italy close behind. By the second mark France had charged back hard, cutting the deficit to 18 seconds, but it didn’t last. Italy took the lead by the third mark and Denmark moved into second, the top four of Italy, Denmark, Australia and France pulling clear. Italy led Denmark by 14 seconds at the fourth mark and held their nerve to the finish, crossing 15 seconds clear with Denmark second, Australia third, France fourth.
USA came in 1 minute and 26 seconds behind Italy, and then a bigger gap until Sweden arrived well over 2 minutes later.
Phil Robertson brought Red Bull Italy home for their first win of the day, the Kiwi driver measured and controlled throughout. Artemis finished sixth, Outteridge sailing alongside Kiwis Andy Maloney and Brad Farrand. GBR finished eleventh. Three races in and the championship leaders already had a retirement, a sixth and an eleventh.
Rockwool Denmark’s second place was a decent result after a week that included a court battle between their American Magic ownership and the Team USA SailGP entry over Rockwool’s use of a stylised American flag on the hull. Denmark won the right to keep it, then went and backed it up on the water.
Race 4: Germany wins a dying breeze
By Race 4 the wind had largely packed up. The race was terminated before the full course was complete, the fleet grinding through conditions that rarely allowed anyone to get properly airborne. The back of the fleet finished over five minutes behind the winner.
Germany took the win after starting sixth at the first mark and working through the fleet steadily, taking the lead between just before the finish line thanks to a late Australian penalty. Denmark second, 13 seconds back. Australia third despite a prestart penalty and two further on-water penalties during the race, the Flying Roos having enough pace to absorb the damage and still get a podium finish. Canada fourth, USA fifth. GBR last, over five minutes behind.
Where the event stands
Four races, four different winners, and a day that never got the wind it needed. Slingsby leads the Rio standings on 28 points, USA second on 27, Artemis third on 26. Germany fourth, Los Gallos fifth, Red Bull Italy sixth. Rockwool Denmark seventh, France eighth, Northstar ninth, Brazil tenth. Switzerland 11th, and GBR, 12th on five Rio points.
Three more fleet races tomorrow before the final. The standings are tight and the racing has been competitive enough, but Rio day one never delivered on the backdrop. Sugarloaf Mountain looked spectacular. The racing underneath it too often looked like boats drifting rather than flying. Two light-air events back to back is not what this season needed, and Sunday needs to be different.
For New Zealand followers, Robertson’s win for Red Bull Italy and Artemis’s steady day were the highlights of a Saturday where the Kiwi F50 sat in the shed. That replacement boat cannot come soon enough.
| Pos | Team | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BONDS Flying Roos | Tom Slingsby | 28 PTS |
| 2 | U.S. SailGP Team | Taylor Canfield | 27 PTS |
| 3 | Artemis | Nathan Outteridge | 26 PTS |
| 4 | Germany by Deutsche Bank | Erik Kosegarten-Heil | 25 PTS |
| 5 | Los Gallos | Diego Botin | 24 PTS |
| 6 | Red Bull Italy | Phil Robertson | 22 PTS |
| 7 | ROCKWOOL Racing | Nicolai Sehested | 21 PTS |
| 8 | DS Automobiles FRA | Quentin Delapierre | 17 PTS |
| 9 | NorthStar | Giles Scott | 14 PTS |
| 10 | Mubadala Brazil | Martine Grael | 14 PTS (penalty 10) |
| 11 | Switzerland | Sébastien Schneiter | 7 PTS |
| 12 | Emirates GBR | Dylan Fletcher | 5 PTS |
| 13 | Black Foils | Peter Burling | 0 PTS |
