SailGP: Reigning World Moth Champion gets his break in New York
by SailGP Media 28 May 10:51 BST
Foiling Week 2025 | Enzo Balanger © Martina Orsini - WeAreFoiling Media
For Enzo Balanger, the call came quickly. The reality of what comes next is arriving even faster.
This weekend’s Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix will mark the French sailor’s SailGP debut, with Balanger stepping onto the DS Automobiles Team France F50 for the first time in racing conditions at one of the championship’s most unpredictable venues.
After joining the French team as a reserve athlete at the tail end of 2025, Balanger has been waiting patiently in the wings for a chance to jump onboard an F50.
An unfortunate injury to super-sub Glenn Ashby, himself standing in for injured wing trimmer Leigh McMillan, presented that chance.
Five events into the 2026 season, the 25-year-old from Marseille admits the opportunity came earlier than expected - but says there was never any chance he would turn it down.
“It’s pretty cool news,” said Balanger. “I don’t feel super ready, it was a bit unexpected, but when an opportunity like this comes along, you can’t say no. You just have to jump in and go racing.”
Balanger joins the French line-up after spending recent months around the wider SailGP set-up as a reserve athlete, while also building his reputation as one of the sport’s brightest young talents: he is the reigning International Moth world champion, defeating SailGP heavyweights Dylan Fletcher, Phil Robertson and Tom Slingsby in the process.
Now, he faces one of the toughest tests in sailing - trimming the wing on an F50 around New York’s compact, chaotic racecourse without training time ahead of the event.
“There are definitely a few nerves because New York is a challenging venue and there’s no training time at this Grand Prix, so it’s a big challenge,” he said. “But I’m super excited to be there and can’t wait to go racing finally.”
Despite the rapid step up, Balanger won’t be arriving in unfamiliar surroundings. Having worked closely with several members of the French squad over recent years, he believes the team’s existing relationships will help accelerate his transition into SailGP racing.
“It’s a huge opportunity for me because I’m not stepping into a completely new team,” he explained. “I’m stepping into a team I’ve known for years and worked with a lot already. That’s definitely going to make the adaptation easier.”
Balanger will line up alongside some of SailGP’s most experienced sailors, including renowned flight controller Jason Saunders and French superstar driver Quentin Delapierre.
He says his immediate focus is simple: fit in quickly and make life easier for the rest of the crew.
“For the moment, I’m just trying to step in and make life easy for the tactician and the driver,” he said. “I want to help manage the boat well and make it go fast around the racecourse.”
Balanger has also leaned on advice from Los Gallos duo Florian Trittel and Diego Botin ahead of his debut.
While the trio work together as part of the French America’s Cup set-up, they’ll become instant rivals on the Hudson this weekend - with Trittel and Botin arriving in New York as the reigning event champions after steering Los Gallos to victory in 2025.
“I’ve spent quite a lot of time with Flo trying to get some good tips from him,” Ballanger said.
“He has mastered the path I’m going down now and he’s given me some advice. He's a super great guy, a great sailor and also a great human. We will return to being rivals in New York though.”
The transition into SailGP racing represents another major learning curve for Balanger, who admits moving from driving boats to trimming sails on an F50 has required a significant adjustment.
“I think the F50 is probably one of the toughest boats to sail these days,” he said. “One of the biggest challenges for me is that I’m usually the driver. I only started trimming sails a few months ago, so that’s still pretty new for me.”
Still, the Frenchman hopes his experience in the ultra-demanding International Moth class will help smooth the learning process.
“Everyone says if you can sail a Moth well, you can sail pretty much any boat in the world,” he said with a smile. “I hope they’re right.”
The Rolex SailGP Championship resumes with the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix on May 30-31.