Emirates GBR Driver Dylan Fletcher MBE said the team was “excited to get racing” as SailGP returns to the fastest racecourse in the championship this weekend. The ROCKWOOL Germany Sail Grand Prix takes place in Sassnitz on Saturday and Sunday, which last year recorded the league’s fastest ever F50 speed of 103.93km/h.
While the Sassnitz racecourse has a reputation for speed, it is also known for drama. Last season, the French and Brazilian teams suffered dramatic crash downs within seconds of each other during practice racing, while Race Day 1 ended in disaster for Emirates GBR – after the US SailGP Team failed to keep clear and crashed into the British F50, causing significant damage. The Brits faced a huge challenge to get the F50 repaired in time for Race Day 2, with the Emirates GBR Shore Team and the SailGP Tech Team working through the night to get the job done. After getting back on the start line for Race Day 2, Emirates GBR bounced back in spectacular fashion, by securing a podium result with a third-place finish.
Emirates GBR Strategist Hannah Mills OBE said: “Last season it was a pretty mega event for a lot of teams; a lot of crashes, a lot of breakages and a lot of things going wrong – so we’re very hopeful that this year won’t be quite the same. The conditions for this weekend are looking quite similar to last year, with really good wind but also really shifty, which makes it harder to sail the F50s with lots going on – so it should be a fun watch!”
Ahead of the race weekend, all 13 teams had an additional training day on Thursday, with a dedicated session for women and youth development on-board the F50. Mills was training in the Driver position on-board the Emirates GBR F50, while 20-year-old Development Sailor Kai Hockley, from Tottenham, London, was on the grinding handles – providing the power to manoeuvre the F50’s wingsail.
Hockley said: “It was cool to get out on the water and get some time on the handles. There was some steady breeze out there to begin with and then it dropped off towards the end of the session, but it was really good to experience those different conditions and how to adjust in the grinder role when needed.”
The Sassnitz racecourse sits on a complicated coastline, with gusty and volatile conditions making it one of the most unpredictable courses in the championship. The forecast currently suggests both Saturday and Sunday should be fairly breezy, with Sunday providing some significant gusts.
The 13 SailGP teams will be split into two groups for racing, with Spain, Switzerland, New Zealand, France, Denmark, Italy and Brazil forming Group A, while Emirates GBR is in Group B alongside Sweden, Canada, USA, Australia and Germany. The group racing format, introduced earlier this season, sees teams divided into groups for the opening races, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the Final.
Emirates GBR Driver Dylan Fletcher MBE said: “It’s great to be back in Sassnitz. It was quite an eventful time for us last year with the big crash with the Americans, but we bounced back to get on the podium. We’re coming off the back of a very disappointing result in Portsmouth, but the team is feeling like we’re in a good place and we’re just excited to get out there, get racing and see what we can make of this difficult and tricky venue.”
The ROCKWOOL Germany Sail Grand Prix | Sassnitz takes place this Saturday and Sunday, with UK viewers able to watch all of the action live from 13:00 BST on TNT Sports 2 on Saturday and TNT Sports 3 on Sunday.
