The first day of racing at the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix ended with an early abandonment following a dramatic collision between the New Zealand’s Black Foils and DS Team France SailGP Teams.
Thirteen international teams hit the startline for the first time in SailGP history – going head to head on one of the closest racetracks of the 2026 Season calendar in gusts up to 35km/h. Teams were equipped for top speeds with the 18-metre wingsail, high-speed titanium T-Foils and rudders.
A fast and furious day of racing saw Emirates GBR drop off their foils in the pre-start and cross the line in ninth in challenging, shifty breeze conditions. Struggling for rhythm around the course, the team found themselves at the back of the fleet, finishing in 11th place. Race two told a different story. GBR mounted an impressive fightback, picking through the fleet from seventh across the start line to secure a second-place finish. In race three, GBR again impressed, leading off the line in dominant fashion, but racing was dramatically halted following a major collision between the New Zealand SailGP Team and the France SailGP Team, bringing an abrupt end to the day’s action.
The Bonds Flying Roos had initially picked up where they left off last season in Auckland, racing to victory in the opening fleet race of the day. It was a strong start for Peter Burling’s Black Foils, who clocked two podium scores before their untimely crash – finishing third in fleet race one and winning the second, much to the delight of cheering home fans.
The crash occurred at the beginning of fleet race three, when the Kiwis appeared to lose control of their F50 catamaran at high speed, veering sharply in front of the French. The Black Foils F50 platform collapsed in the incident, as France’s F50 collided on top of the Kiwis’ hull.
Two athletes were taken to hospital in stable condition, to be treated for their injuries. All other crew members have been cleared of injuries.
DS Team France driver Quentin Delapierre said: “I think both teams are quite okay. I want to give my thoughts to the New Zealand team and also to my teammates – this was tough for everyone on both teams. On the incident itself, I can’t really say anything. Everything happened so quickly – it’s still super cloudy in my head and I haven’t reviewed the footage or spoken to the umpires.”
Emirates GBR SailGP Team Driver Dylan Fletcher said: “Big first day here in Auckland with the incident between the Kiwis and the French. We are just pleased to hear that the athletes involved are in a stable condition, and our thoughts are with both teams.
“It’s a challenging but fun racecourse, and ultimately that’s why we love the racing here. We had a disappointing first race, it wasn’t good enough , so it was great to bounce back and find our form in the second race. Tomorrow we will reset again and come out firing, as every race counts in SailGP.”
