CM – New rules, more money at SailGP Tranto >> Scuttlebutt Sailing News

Taranto, Italy (June 4, 2021) – The very first Italy Sail Grand Prix kicks off tomorrow in this southern Italian city, when the eight teams return to the circuit with some new faces and stricter rules for the second event of the season, Protect both the athletes and the boats.

To relive the first event in Bermuda, the new series from SailGP: Racing on the Edge looks back on the incident between Jimmy Spithill and Nathan Outteridge when the SailGP teams of the United States and Japan at the opening event of the Season crashed and both boats dropped out of the event and led to an attempt against the clock to get both boats to the start in Taranto.

« We have been analyzing the incident extensively since Bermuda and have had some protest hearings and discussions with the referees, » said Outteridge. “We made the mistake, we were the yielding boat and didn’t yield.

« We’re just not allowed to do this again and I have to put my hand up there, it was a mistake. Mistakes happen. These boats close the speed very quickly. The good thing in the end is that nobody was injured, the boats are repaired and we can focus on the race here. But we won’t stop pushing, if we don’t push, we can just as easily go home. ”

As a result of the collision, stricter rules now apply – starting in Italy – to avoid a collision and ultimately serious damage to the identical high-tech – Avoid F50 catamarans. In Bermuda there was no other option but to punish both boats equally.

The updated regulation gives the referees more discretion to impose more severe penalties in the event of a collision, depending on the extent of the damage. Both for the boat in the wrong and when the other boat did not do enough to avoid the collision. This could also have an impact on the points in the overall standings of the SailGP season championship.

« This style of racing is unique in sailing, » remarked Spithill. “It happens very, very quickly and decisions are made very quickly, so mistakes will happen. If we leave that behind, it will be nice to get through the weekend and finish every race. At the last event we were only allowed to start on the first day and we would be very happy about a strong result here.  »

New to the circuit will be Paul Goodison at the wheel of the Great Britain SailGP Team, who will compete with Arnaud Psarofaghis, who makes his debut in the driver’s seat of the New Zealand F50. This is joined by a form-strong French team led by Billy Besson, the young Spanish team around Phil Robertson and Florian Trittell, Tom Slingsby’s Australia team, which will be hungry for victory this weekend, and Nicolai Sehested’s Denmark SailGP team presented by ROCKWOOL.

The Italy Sail Grand Prix consists of two days of racing with five fleet races, followed by a podium race with the three best boats in the ultimate showdown to determine the winner. As an added incentive, the top three boats at each event will receive additional prize money in addition to the $ 1 million up for grabs at the Grand Final in San Francisco in March 2022.

Format for SailGP events:
• Each event runs over two days.
• There are three races each day for a total of six races at each event.
• All teams are involved in the first five fleet races.
• In the final match race, the three best-placed teams compete against each other to crown the event champion.
• The season ends with the Grand Final, which also includes the Championship Final Race – a winner-takes-all-match race for the price of $ 1 million.

SailGP season 2 schedule *
24.-25. April 2021 – Bermuda Grand Prix
5th-6th June 2021 – Italian Grand Prix – Taranto
17th-18th July 2021 – Great Britain Grand Prix – Plymouth
20.-21. August 2021 – ROCKWOOL Denmark Grand Prix – Aarhus
11.-12. September 2021 – French Grand Prix – Saint-Tropez
9-10 October 2021 – Spanish Grand Prix – Andalusia
29.-30. January 2022 – New Zealand Grand Prix – Christchurch
26.-27. March 2022 – United States Grand Prix – San Francisco (Season 2 Grand Finale) * Subject to change

2021-22 teams, helmet
Australia, Tom Slingsby
Denmark, Nicolai Sehested
France, Billy Besson
Great Britain, Ben Ainslie (alternatively – Paul Goodison)
Japan, Nathan Outteridge
New Zealand, Peter Burling (alternatively – Arnaud Psarofaghis)
Spain, Jordi Xammar (alternative – Phil Robertson)
United States, Jimmy Spithill

SailGP was founded in 2018 and aims to be an annual, global sports league that features fan-centric coastal racing in some of the legendary ports around the globe. Rival national teams compete in identical F50 catamarans, with the season culminating in a winning take-all-match race valued at $ 1 million.

Scuttlebutt was founded in 1997 and provides sailing news with a North American focus. Be aware of the latest information posted on the website. The highlights will be distributed in the e-newsletter from Monday to Friday.

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