Defending their home title, Australia SailGP Team driver Tom Slingsby said, “It’s amazing to be back. The weather has been unbelievable since we’ve been here and the forecast is looking great.” Slingsby’s Flying Roo is fresh off a dominating victory last month in Auckland.

When it all begins tomorrow, SailGP’s international fleet will race around cheering fans on ‘Shark Island’ – an official spectator area positioned right in the heart of the course. If today’s warm up is anything to go by, there will be plenty of action for those lucky enough to secure a spot. In addition to the U.S. capsize, a number of teams were involved in close calls – including a collision between Germany and Brazil, set to cost both teams event points. Full penalties are yet to be confirmed by the umpires. Germany also had contact with Red Bull Italy earlier in the day. The ROCKWOOL Denmark SailGP Team nearly capsized, narrowly avoiding contact with New Zealand.

And while France didn’t keep its new paint job entirely dry either, driver Quentin Delapierre was pleased to report no major issues on the team’s new F50. Delapierre said, “After some commissioning this morning, the boat was working well enough for us to get into the practice races this afternoon. It was demanding, with a lot of wind, but you don’t have much choice in SailGP – you have to push the limits. We’re feeling comfortable at speed. Now, we just have to get over the frustration of such limited training.”

Entering the weekend second in the overall standings – tied on points with Emirates GBR, in first – New Zealand driver Peter Burling said the Black Foils would be out for revenge after failing to make the final at their home event last month. “It definitely motivates us to keep pushing super hard,” Burling said. “Missing a home final is never a fun thing, but we take plenty of learnings from it.”

The KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix | Sydney begins at 4pm tomorrow (Saturday 8 February) local time. Limited tickets remain – available for purchase at SailGP.com/Sydney.

Text and image courtesy of SailGP.com.

The Series Production Formula Wing Equipment Registration Scheme is operated by World Sailing and acts as the process by which manufacturers can register series production equipment to be eligible for racing at International Wing Sports Association events.