The World Today
MADRID, 17 (EUROPA PRESS)
'Los Gallos' had a tough Sunday, finishing sixth in the Sassnitz Grand Prix (Germany), the eighth round of the Rolex SailGP Championship, and fourth overall.
On a day with 'only' ten F50s in the fleet, the conditions were extremely changeable, affecting every race. In this situation, the Spain SailGP Team couldn't find a winning strategy and was towed throughout the day.
The "Roosters" got off to a difficult start in the day's first race, finishing at the back of the fleet. Despite Saturday's incident, GBR was in the starting lineup, dominating the first part of the race. The lack of wind and the constant pitfalls on the racecourse were a challenge for all the teams. In this context, Dylan Fletcher was the smartest and won the first race of the day.
The Gallos, despite coming close to fourth place, finished sixth, and again had a difficult start in Sunday's second race. Dylan Fletcher consolidated his strong performance in first place. The Gallos, seventh, needed a miracle in the final fleet race of the day to be able to fight for the final.
The Spain SailGP Team again finished at the back of the fleet at the start and, in sixth place, were five points behind the final, with that sixth position in Sassnitz. France, Great Britain, and Australia were the three F50s that contested the final, and France upset the two favorites. Quentin Delapierre took his first victory of the season ahead of Tom Slingsby and Dylan Fletcher.
With this victory for France, Australia takes the lead in the Rolex SailGP Championship with 61 points, the same as New Zealand. The Roosters are now fourth, with 56 points, two behind Great Britain in third place, and just five behind Australia and New Zealand. The next stop in the Rolex SailGP Championship will be in Saint-Tropez (September 12 and 13).
"It's been a very complicated weekend due to the constant changes. There was no wind at the finish mark, and the situation was very changeable throughout the day. We fought to get into the final, but in the end, it wasn't to be. Today, we didn't sail as we should have to. The windless starts were very difficult, but we've made it through another weekend," said Spain SailGP Team strategist Nicole van der Velden.
