Spain’s Los Gallos made the most of home waters to lead the Spain Sail Grand Prix in Valencia after a dominant opening day that delivered two wins and a second-place finish.
Diego Botín’s crew posted a 1-1-2 scoreline in Saturday’s three Group B races, while Red Bull Italy produced two victories from three races in Group A to move within one point of championship leaders the Bonds Flying Roos.
The results came as SailGP entered the first of its final two events before November’s winner-takes-all Grand Final in Abu Dhabi, with the battle for the three championship final places increasingly prominent.
As Afloat reported on Saturday, Valencia is hosting SailGP for the first time, with all 13 international teams racing on a new course between the city beach and harbour breakwater. Spain arrived seeking to reduce a 14-point deficit to championship leaders Australia, while the third Grand Final qualifying position remained particularly closely contested.
Los Gallos Deliver on Home Waters
Patchy, light conditions made starts particularly important on Saturday, with passing opportunities limited once the F50s were around the first mark. Every race winner during the opening day had led at mark one. Los Gallos made an ideal start to Race B1 and quickly established a lead before taking victory ahead of the U.S. SailGP Team and Rockwool Racing.
“We couldn't ask to start the event better than doing it in your home event with all the crowd pushing. It felt amazing,” Botín said.
Home Charge: Diego Botín and the Los Gallos crew power their F50 through Valencia after scoring two wins and a second to take the overnight lead on home waters. Photo: Samo Vidic
The Spanish crew followed that by prevailing in a much closer second encounter with Rockwool Racing, edging the Danish team by centimetres to secure back-to-back victories.
Rockwool reversed the order in the final Group B race, taking victory ahead of Los Gallos, with the U.S. SailGP Team third.
The results left Spain at the head of the combined event standings with 14 points, followed by Rockwool on 12 and the United States on 10.
Red Bull Italy Challenge Championship Leaders
Red Bull Italy were equally impressive in Group A, winning the opening race after getting away strongly and leading around the six-leg course.
The Bonds Flying Roos finished second, with Mubadala Brazil third, while the Black Foils' early-start penalty left the New Zealand crew at the rear of the fleet.
Australia responded in Race A2, with driver Tom Slingsby marking his birthday with victory ahead of Emirates GBR. Artemis took third after missing the opening race because of a broken jib halyard.
Red Bull Italy returned to the front in the third race, ahead of Explora Journeys Swiss and Artemis, leaving the Italian team just one point behind Australia in Group A.
Front Runners: Red Bull Italy leads ROCKWOOL Racing and the Black Foils during opening-day racing in Valencia, where light conditions put a premium on strong starts and clear air. Photo: Ricardo Pinto
“The execution of manoeuvres is so much easier when you’re in the front,” Red Bull Italy driver Phil Robertson said. “Getting to mark one in P1 is crucial, and then you’re in clear air the whole race.”
Robertson said the performance reflected considerable work by the team over recent months. “This team’s been grafting for a long time now, and the last three months we’ve just put in a huge effort to try and get better,” he said.
Abu Dhabi Places Remain in Play
The Valencia regatta has particular significance beyond the individual event result, with only one further SailGP stop remaining before the Abu Dhabi Grand Final.
The Bonds Flying Roos came into Valencia leading the season championship on 76 points, 14 clear of Los Gallos on 62. Artemis were third on 53, with Emirates GBR fourth on 46 and the United States fifth on the same total.
As Afloat highlighted in its Valencia preview on Saturday, the battle for the third Grand Final berth is therefore particularly tight, leaving several teams under pressure to score heavily across the Spanish weekend.
Finals Fight: The Bonds Flying Roos, Explora Journeys Swiss, Black Foils, Emirates GBR and Mubadala Brazil race off Valencia as the battle for Abu Dhabi Grand Final places intensifies. Photo: Felix Diemer
NorthStar endured a difficult Saturday, finishing fifth, sixth and fifth.
Driver Giles Scott described his team as being “on the back foot” but pointed to the relatively small points gap ahead of Sunday’s racing. “It’s only a couple of points up to third or fourth, so that’s kind of the goal for tomorrow for us,” Scott said.
The Black Foils also struggled, recording 6-4-6 and collecting only two points from their opening three qualifying races.
Valencia Final Beckons
Sunday's programme will complete the remaining qualifying fleet races before the leading teams progress to the winner-takes-all Spain Sail Grand Prix Final.
For Los Gallos, Saturday’s performance has put Botín and his crew in a strong position to reach the final at SailGP’s inaugural Valencia event. Racing resumes at 1.30 pm CEST on Sunday, 6 September.
