SailGP Valencia: Big day for Flight controllers in funky breeze at Valencia
by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World NZ 5 Sep 15:28 BST
Los Gallos (ESP) - Day 1 - Spain Sail Grand Prix - Valencia - September 5, 2026 © Felix Diemer/SailGP
Predictions that there would be no passing lanes after the end of the Sprint Leg proved to be prophetic as fans and competitors reflected on the first day of racing in the Spain Sail Grand Prix at Valencia.
This was the first day of racing at a new venue on the 13-event SailGP circuit, and it proved to be a marked contrast to the previous regatta at Sassnitz, a fortnight earlier.
The fresh breezes and rain squalls of the Baltic coast venue were replaced by brilliant sunshine and light onshore winds. There was no risk of the 107.63 km/h (58.11 knots) speed record set by DS Automobiles France at Sassnitz. To underline the difference that a fortnight can make, the fleet-footed French will be struggling to make the cut for the Final.
Six races were sailed, again in groups of six and seven teams, with the top two from Group A and B progressing to the four-boat final on Sunday, with a six-figure purse on offer.
While there was no lead change after the end of the so-called Sprint Leg to Mark 1, the Los Gallos fans would have been pleased with that outcome, as 2024 Olympic Gold medalist Diego Botin scored two wins from their races. The fact that he finished sixth and last underlined the fact that there were few passing lanes on the tight, short course.
In the other Group A, Italy repeated the Spaniard's feat of two race wins. However, that outcome didn't generate the same adulation from the Grandstand, right on the edge of what is a spectacular example of stadium racing.
Red Bull Italy achieved a remarkable reversal of their Season 6 form, leaving Sassnitz as one of the three teams to score zero points. However, they go to bed in Valencia lying second in their Group, just one point behind the Flying Roos (Tom Slingsby), and three points up on last Season's champions
Emirates Great Britain looked to be on track for the Final, but found the soft spots in the dying breeze and dropped from being second at the end of the Sprint Leg to be fifth at the finish.
While the day's glory usually goes to the skippers, in today's conditions the real heroes were the flight controllers, and their ability to get the F50S flying on the Sprint leg was crucial to getting their bows in front at the end of Leg 1, and that achievement invariably delivered a race win.
The racing got underway, with the teams starting with the "big rig" of the 27.5-metre wingsail, along with light air foils and rudders. For the early races they sailed with five crew, reducing to four later in the day as the winds eased. The story of most races was that there was a lot of startline jostling, but only two recalls. Once off the start line, it was a race to get foiling, and those that did so early went on to win.
Those who were called for starting early paid a severe penalty, as the fleet backmarkers were so slow in getting away that the race leaders had, or were close to rounding Mark 1, by the time the miscreants had got behind the last boat, that their race was over along with their chances of making Sunday's Final.
The day started with some drama, as Artemis Racing lost jib luff tension due to either a halyard break or a lock failure. They called for the start to be delayed because of the breakdown and were granted a two-minute delay, but despite the efforts of support crews, it was not enough, and their group started without them.
It ended with a thrilling finish between Los Gallos and Rockwool Denmark, with the American-owned team just getting the slightest edge around the final mark, but to the delight of their home crowd, Los Gallos got the win, with both teams awarded the same time.
Points after Day 1:
Group A: Australia 11pts; Italy 10pts; Great Britain 7pts; Switzerland 6pts; Sweden 6pts; Brazil 3pts; New Zealand 2pts
Group B: Spain 14pts; Denmark 12pts; USA 10pts; France 4pts; Germany 3pts; Canada 2pts