MADRID, 12 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish SailGP team started the Dubai Sail Grand Prix presented by P&O Marinas this Saturday in last position after the first day, with 10 points, a start that Great Britain dominated, ahead of the United States and New Zealand.
The Spanish team, despite a brilliant practice race yesterday in which they nailed all the maneuvers and catapulted them to first position, punctured at the starts due to a strategic error since the wind conditions were not as expected.
The races of the day were slow and the teams played hard at the starts, something that also penalized Australia, leader of the general, while Great Britain took two close victories. Jordi Xammar’s Spanish team fell in the first two races and in the third, a new configuration forced Jordi Xammar, Florian Trittel, Diego Botin and Paula Barceló to stay only on the F50 Victoria, being fifth.
“It has been a very difficult day especially in the starts. Not being able to fly after the starts has hurt us and we have not been able to identify it. We are angry with ourselves, especially considering the level with which we sailed yesterday. We will certainly work to ensure that it does not happen again,” Xammar said in a team statement.
“The most difficult decision is knowing when to fly or not because these boats are designed precisely for that and it is such a fine line that it makes it very complex,” he added, hoping for better conditions on Sunday.