Red Bull Sailing announce GC32 Racing Tour 2021 campaign
by Red Bull Content Pool 18 Jun 2021 06:59 BST
30 June - 4 July 2021
Team Red Bull Sailing (AUT) led by double olympic gold medalists Roman Hagara and Hans Peter Steinacher perform during the training camp in Lake Garda, Italy on June 2, 2021 © Samo Vidic / Red Bull Content Pool
Red Bull Sailing's second GC32 Racing Tour season will be unmissable and, after taking third overall in their 2019 debut, the Austrian boat is back with watersport legends Roman Hagara and Hans Peter Steinacher set for their last season of competitive racing.
Here is all you need to know...
Double Olympic Champions Hagara (skipper, helm) and Steinacher (tactician) quickly proved that they were up to the fight in 2019 when they led Red Bull Sailing to its standout debut season then later revealed that 2020 would be their last competitive campaign, only to see the calendar cancelled.
Now that racing is firing up again, they will try to cap off their amazing careers by taking the title from a field of top international teams that include their fierce Swiss rival and two-time America's Cup winners Alinghi, and Zoulou - the French team that finished third overall in 2018.
The GC32 Racing Tour is a battlefield for the best sailors on the planet, all sailing a formidable foiling catamaran that reaches speeds of nearly 80km/h at four regattas across three stunning venues.
Steinacher, 52, said: "The reason we're still racing is because we love to compete, we love to win. We've raced together for a long time, and that's how we want to finish it out."
One of the factors that will make Red Bull Sailing a favourite in the GC32 Racing Tour this year is that Hagara and Steinacher will have their complete Red Bull Sailing crew from 2019 back on board.
Australia's Rhys Mara (trimmer), fellow Aussie Mark Spaermann (board trimmer) and Sweden's Julius Hallström (bowman) are powerful young sailors with the team possessing a full season of experience.
Hagara, 55, revealed: "By the end of 2019 the crew was working really well together. We showed our potential with some nice race wins, and we'd gotten closer to Alinghi. This year we're looking to win at least one event, and then the big goal would be to win the overall season. I think everybody has quite a hunger to get going!"
Hagara and Steinacher did manage to put the Red Bull Sailing GC32 on the water for three weeks at Europe's Lake Constance last summer, but a training camp just completed at Lake Garda, Italy was their first opportunity in a year and a half to bring the entire team together.
Steinacher added: "With a very limited amount of time on the water before racing begins, it really helps that we are used to working together previously. Everyone knew his role coming into the training, and I think after a few days we found our rhythm and got pretty close to the level where we left off in 2019."
The GC32 Racing Tour starts June 30 at Lagos in Portugal, with four regattas in three breathtaking locations, all known for conditions that allow the boats to get up on their foils and fly.
While Hagara and Steinacher - who also banked several World and European titles together - will not be competing after this season, they will continue to sail hard and lead progression.
Hagara said: "We're looking at projects in some very special locations with beautiful backdrops. Fans will still see us sailing, and maybe they will even have a chance to come and sail with us!"
Steinacher concluded: "Sailing is our life. And right now, the most important thing is that we are together again with the team. A strong team can do a lot, and that's exactly what we will be this year: a strong team, strong together. That's how we like to sail."
www.gc32racingtour.com
2021 GC32 Racing Tour calendar
June 30-July 4: Lagos 1, Portugal
July 28-August 1: Lagos 2, Portugal
September 15-19: Villasimius, Sardinia, Italy (World Championship)
November 3-7: Mar Menor, Spain