BONDS Flying Roos left Sassnitz with another victory and an even stronger position at the top of the SailGP Championship. Tom Slingsby and his crew won the ROCKWOOL Germany Sail Grand Prix, their fifth Grand Prix win of the season, and extended their lead over Los Gallos Spain to 14 points with four events still to go.
It was not a straightforward weekend for Australia. They started strongly on Saturday, winning the first two races of Group B, but finished the third race in last place after being penalised in the final stages. That result left the group wide open going into Sunday, with only a few points separating the teams fighting for a place in the Final.
Sunday brought a very different set of conditions. The wind became more difficult to read, gusts reached around 40 km/h and heavy rain reduced visibility across the racecourse. Germany made the most of it, winning the opening race of the day and taking their second victory of the event in front of their home crowd. Australia, meanwhile, finished fifth and suddenly had more work to do if they wanted to reach the Final.
NorthStar Canada won the final fleet race of the group, but Australia managed to finish second, enough to secure their place in the Final alongside Artemis Sweden and NorthStar. Germany, despite their two race wins, could not make it through.
In Group A, the Black Foils had one of their best weekends of the season. Peter Burling's team won the opening race on Saturday and finished the first day at the top of the group. They continued their good form on Sunday, winning another fleet race and reaching the Final with the highest fleet racing points total of any of the four finalists.
Los Gallos took the second place from Group A after a strong recovery. The Spanish team had struggled in the first two races on Saturday, finishing seventh and fourth, but came back to win the third race of the group. On Sunday they secured the final qualification place after DS Automobiles France lost their chance following a nosedive.
That left Australia, NorthStar, Black Foils and Los Gallos to fight for the Grand Prix win.
The Final started well for Australia. Slingsby had a strong start and rounded the first mark in first place, with NorthStar second and the Black Foils third. Los Gallos were last, but the Spanish team began to recover as the race went on, eventually moving into second after passing New Zealand.
Australia had already built enough of a gap, though, and managed to stay in front until the finish. NorthStar crossed second and Los Gallos third, while the Black Foils were penalised after a close incident with Spain near the finish line and dropped to fourth.
For Australia, it was another example of the consistency that has kept them at the top of the championship. They had to recover from a poor result earlier in the day, but once they reached the Final they controlled the race from the first mark. The victory gives them five Grand Prix wins this season and a 14 point advantage over Los Gallos.
The Spanish team remain Australia's closest challengers. Their third place in Sassnitz was enough to consolidate second in the championship, while Artemis Sweden are third on 53 points. Emirates GBR, the reigning champions, had a difficult weekend and finished eighth overall. They are now level on points with the United States, but both teams are 30 points behind Australia.
One of the biggest moments of the weekend came before the Final, when DS Automobiles France set a new SailGP speed record. Quentin Delapierre's team reached 107.63 km/h while rounding the first mark in the third race on Saturday, beating the 103.93 km/h record set by ROCKWOOL Denmark at the same venue last year.
It was another reminder of what makes Sassnitz such a particular racecourse. The F50s can reach very high speeds, but the wind can also change quickly, with strong gusts followed by sudden lulls. That was particularly noticeable on Sunday, when the rain and shifting conditions made it difficult for the teams to maintain their speed.
The Black Foils also deserve a mention. After missing four events following the collision in Auckland in February, they finally reached their first Final of the season. They had already come close in Halifax and Portsmouth, but in Sassnitz they managed to put themselves in a position to fight for the win. The fourth place will be frustrating after the penalty at the finish, but it was still their best result of the season.
Germany also gave the home crowd plenty to celebrate. Erik Kosegarten Heil and his crew won two races during the weekend, including Sunday's opening fleet race. The German team had another strong event at home, although they could not turn those victories into a place in the Final. For a team that has struggled with its starts this season, the performance in Sassnitz was an encouraging step.
The weekend also marked another important chapter for the German event. Around 15,000 spectators watched the racing from the waterfront, while the conditions once again showed why Sassnitz has become one of the fastest venues on the SailGP calendar. Last year's event was remembered largely for the crashes and damage suffered by several teams. This time, the focus was much more on the racing, the speed record and the battle for the championship.
Australia now heads to Valencia with a 14 point lead and five victories already on the board. Los Gallos are still close enough to keep the championship interesting, while Artemis and the teams behind them will need a strong run over the final four events. After a weekend in which Australia had to recover from a difficult start to Sunday and still found a way to win, Slingsby and his crew leave Sassnitz in a very strong position.
¡Nos vemos en Valencia!
