SailGP: Kiwis top leaderboard after big turnaround in Great Britain SailGP

SailGP: Kiwis top leaderboard after big turnaround in Great Britain SailGP - Day 1 + Video replay

by Natalie Fortier NZSailGP 30 Jul 2022 22:58 BST 30-31 July 2022

New Zealand SailGP Team and Australia SailGP Team in action on Race Day 1 of the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix | Plymouth in Plymouth, England. 30th July , 2022 © Felix Diemer/SailGP

Peter Burling, Co-CEO and driver of New Zealand SailGP Team, reacts after winning the third race on Race Day 1 of the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix | Plymouth in Plymouth, England. 30th July 2022 © Ricardo Pinto/SailGP

Points Table - Day 1 SailGP Great Britain - Plymouth July 30 , 2022 © SailGP

The New Zealand SailGP Team is off to a flying start in Plymouth, finishing on top of the points-table at the end of day one of the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix with 28 points out of a possible 30 on the leader-board.

After finishing second, second and first in back-to-back fleet races on the stunning waters of Plymouth Sound, the Kiwis lead the fleet heading into the second and final day of racing on Sunday 31 July (BST) followed by Australia in second and France in third.

New Zealand Wing Trimmer Blair Tuke says, “It was certainly a great day for us, a really solid performance from the team. It’s been a long time coming to put three good races together like that, so the team is feeling stoked.”

Describing Race 1 as “a real grind,” Tuke says the Kiwis maintained their composure and sailed the boat well to stay at the front of the pack after a mistake at the second mark dropped the crew into third. But it was all go for the Kiwis after an incident between France and Canada at the final mark opened the door for Driver Peter Burling to seize the opportunity to overtake France, sliding through to finish second hot on the heels of Canada.

An incident between France and Canada at the final mark opened the door for New Zealand and Driver Peter Burling seized the opportunity to overtake France, sliding through to finish second hot on the heels of Canada.

From there, things got a bit easier for New Zealand. A well-executed start in Race 2 helped the Kiwis surge to mark one in great shape, battling it out with Australia for much of the second half of the race to finish second behind their trans-Tasman rivals. And the third and final race of the day was New Zealand’s for the taking, with the Kiwis growing a comfortable lead throughout the race to finish a cool 890-metres ahead of the rest of the fleet.

Switzerland SailGP Team, Australia SailGP Team , France SailGP Team and New Zealand SailGP Team in action on Race Day 1 of the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix | Plymouth in Plymouth, England. 30th July 2022 - photo © Bob Martin/ SailGP

Today, the Kiwis delivered the consistency they’ve been missing so far on the SailGP circuit after finishing sixth in Bermuda and fourth in Chicago. Tuke acknowledges there’s been no silver bullet but rather lots of incremental change, evaluation and honest conversations about all aspects of the team’s performance.

“A lot of it comes down to the work we’ve been putting in between events. The team’s really been taking on the challenge, so to put all of that together was really, really pleasing,” he says.

And with three solid races under their belt, the New Zealand SailGP Team’s eyes will be firmly fixed on delivering a strong performance on day two to make it into the final podium race.

New Zealand SailGP Team in action on Race Day 1 of the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix | Plymouth in Plymouth, England. 30th July, 2022 - photo © Ricardo Pinto/SailGP

“It’s been a great start to the weekend,” says Tuke. “The team’s stoked on today but we’re looking ahead to tomorrow. We really want to make that final race so we’ll bring the momentum we’ve built today into the final two [fleet] races and see how we go.”

The Great Britain Sail Grand Prix continues tomorrow (Monday 1 August NZT).

Commonwealth Race

The final day of SailGP Great Britain will be preceded by an exhibition match between the crews from the America's Cup Champion and the Challenger of Record, as the Kiwis , in Live Ocean, take on the Duchess of Cambridge in a one-on-one Commonwealth Race against rivals Great Britain, on Sunday (Monday NZT). While there are in fact four British Commonwealth countries represented in SailGP, the exhibition match will take place between the two who are also entered in America's Cup 2024. Challenger of Record for America's Cup 2024, Royal Yacht Squadron and the Defender Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.

With Her Royal Highness on board with Sir Ben Ainslie and his crew, the New Zealand SailGP Team will be helped out by their own guest racer, endurance swimmer and UN Patron of the Ocean, Lewis Pugh, who dropped in to meet the team today.

Dubbed the 'Sir Edmund Hillary of swimming," Pugh is the first person to complete a long-distance swim in every ocean of the world and - like the New Zealand SailGP Team - is known for using his sport and platform to drive attention to vulnerable ecosystems and the need for a healthy ocean in particular.

A similar race staged in Auckland between the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge drew massive media interest.

The friendly 'Commonwealth Race' will take place on Sun 31 July 1230 BST / Mon 1 August 2330 NZT.

Footage will not be included in the global broadcast but will be made available post-event.

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