SailGP has confirmed New Zealand will be granted a fifth-place finish – or six event points – for the ROCKWOOL Italy
Sail Grand Prix in Taranto. The Kiwis were rendered unable to compete in the fourth event of the season late last week
when it was determined the league could not feasibly transport and fit out a replacement wing sail for the team in time
for this weekend’s event, following the structural failure of the team’s wing sail in Saint-Tropez.
The points were awarded as SailGP could not provide the necessary replacement parts in order for the New Zealand team to
compete in Taranto. SailGP has now amended its rules so that up to six points can be awarded by the class authority for
each of the events missed if a team sustains an equipment breakdown and it is not able to supply the necessary
replacement parts to get the team back on the water.
New Zealand driver and co-CEO Peter Burling said he was disappointed the decision was based on average points across the
fleet, rather than the team’s performance so far this season.
Burling said: “It’s frustrating that in this instance, organisers haven’t considered our performance in Chicago, Los
Angeles and on day one in Saint-Tropez. It means that on top of a bad result in Saint-Tropez because we weren’t able to
compete on day two, we’re also now carrying a fifth heading into Cádiz and the rest of the season.”
Burling said, “At the same time, we’re ready to accept it and move on. This is what’s been decided - it’s good to get
something and have provisions in place if this were to happen again.”
Alongside race management, all team CEOs were consulted on the decision. Asked his views on whether or not the Kiwis
should receive compensatory points for this weekend’s event, Australian driver and team CEO Tom Slingsby said he felt
divided.
“It’s a hard one to answer - competitive Tom is saying no and bad luck and move on, but realistic Tom is saying I
understand that they didn’t really make any mistake there.”
“At the moment the result is decided on the water and I think that’s a big improvement on previous editions and sailing
leagues but at the same time SailGP doesn’t have spares, and they can’t just head out on the next day with a new wing,
so personally I do believe they should be compensated for that with some sort of redress,” Slingsby said.
SailGP is now working towards a solution to get Amokura back on the startline in Cádiz, 14-15 October CEST. Once the
wing sail arrives from New Zealand, it will require extensive setup and testing on-site to ensure Amokura is fully race
ready.
New Zealand wing trimmer and co-CEO Blair Tuke said: “It’s obviously gutting to miss this weekend's event but we’re
looking forward to getting back on the racecourse and showing what we can do in Cádiz.”
“Our fans have rallied behind us - and behind Amokura - before and we’ll be pushing harder than ever to get our season
back on track,” Tuke said.
The ROCKWOOL Italy Sail Grand Prix | Taranto begins today (Saturday) at 11.30pm NZST. Fans can watch all the action live
on ThreeNow, with delayed coverage on Three (linear) at 4.30pm on Sunday and Monday. A full report of the New Zealand
SailGP Team wing incident in Saint-Tropez can be found here.