Spain stunned Australia and New Zealand and became champions for the fourth season in an action-packed Grand Final at San Francisco Bay. …
But Spain’s advantage was short-lived, with Australia and New Zealand hot on its heels, applying pressure at every turn. The Spaniard raised the ride height to the maximum to squeeze maximum speed out of his F50, and was able to reach a top speed of 90 km/h.
Disaster struck Australia in the closing stages of the race, when an erratic maneuver saw the three-time SailGP champion fall from the foils.
Despite losing momentum in the final stages, which allowed the Australians to catch up to the young team, the Spaniards managed to regain momentum to cross the finish line in time, ending Australia’s three-championship streak.
In the end, Spain made the fewest maneuvers (only five, compared to Australia’s eight and New Zealand’s 12) over the shortest distance (10.5 km, compared to Australia’s 10.6 km and New Zealand’s 10.8 km).
While Spain has 97% uptime, New Zealand has less than 100% and the same as Australia. The average speed in Spain is 62.3 km/h, compared to 62.4 km/h in Australia and 63 km/h in New Zealand.
Captain Diego Bodine revealed that the team broke a rudder in the last run. “We were lucky.”After the regatta he said, “We were able to stay ahead.”
The win marks an incredible turnaround for Diego Bott’s side, which finished last in season three and suffered a disruptive team change. However, the team improved throughout the fourth season, winning the first Test in its history in Los Angeles and defeating New Zealand and Australia in Bermuda.
After the regatta, Bodin announced: “I can’t describe the feeling I’m feeling right now, it’s a big adrenaline rush. I can’t believe we did it in Bermuda and here again in the Grand Final in San Francisco.”.
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