SAP Extreme Sailing Team closes the gap on Team Tilt in GC32 World Championship

Another successful day on the water for SAP Extreme Sailing Team saw them close the gap on Swiss rivals, Team Tilt, in the GC32 World Championship, Riva del Garda, Italy.

Saturday 26th May 2018

Another successful day on the water for SAP Extreme Sailing Team saw them close the gap on Swiss rivals, Team Tilt, in the GC32 World Championship, Riva del Garda, Italy. Only two points now separate the leading two teams.

Starting as they meant to go on, the Danish squad took the first race win of the day, with fellow Extreme Sailing Series™ competitors Alinghi and Oman Air also scoring podium finishes straight off the mark, crossing the line in second and third respectively.

Big breeze of up to 18kts saw the fleet storm around Lake Garda, steadfast on their mission to take the first official GC32 World Championship title.

Kiwi superstar sailor Adam Minoprio, helm for SAP Extreme Sailing Team was pleased with today’s racing:

“We had good breeze which allowed us to really push the boat hard,” he explained. “We got some good speed. Tilt had a great day too so we were only able to close the gap to two points, but it’s all to play for on the final day.”

According to Minoprio, consistency is key in this year’s Extreme Sailing Series, and the same goes for the GC32 World Championship.

“That [consistency] is what it’s going to come down to,” he said. “If you drop in a race and take an eighth or lower, it could really hurt you on the points, especially if the other team scores a top five in that race.”

Despite their good start today, three-time Extreme Sailing Series champions Alinghi seemed to fall a little by the wayside in the later races of the day. Consistent mid-fleet finishes saw them knocked off the World Championship podium, finishing the day in fourth overall.

Co-skipper and helm for the team Arnaud Psarofaghis commented on their performance.

“Today was a little harder for us but the boat is going really well,” he said, remaining upbeat despite the result. “We came back really nicely after an OCS [over the line before the signal] in one of the races. I made a big mistake on the last upwind leg and we lost several places. The boat’s going really well and the team are doing a great job, so we’re really looking forward to tomorrow.”

It wasn’t all bad for Alinghi though. Skippered by Ernesto Bertarelli, the team are still streaks ahead in the regatta’s Owner Driver competition, 14 points ahead of chasing team Argo.

Having consistently struggled to get off the startline in today’s racing, Austrian squad Red Bull Sailing Team are determined to come back tomorrow, all guns blazing.

“We had some bad starts but our boat sailing is great,” said skipper Roman Hagara. “Tomorrow we’re going to be really focussed on starting well.”

“The boys are sailing the boat beautifully,” agreed the team’s helm, British sailor Chris Draper. “We’re just not getting off the line. We’re going to bring it back tomorrow.”

The GC32 World Championship is a point scoring event for the Extreme Sailing Series. Head to our Riva del Garda results page to see how it affects our rankings.

The final day of racing is due to begin tomorrow at 08:30 CEST. Who will be crowned the first official World Champion in the GC32 class? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter, or visit the GC32 World Championship website to follow the action.

2018 GC32 World Championship standings after Day 3, 12 races (26.05.18)
Position / Team / Skipper / Points

1st Team Tilt (SUI) Alex Schneiter 45 points.

2nd SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) Rasmus Køstner 47 points.

3rd Oman Air (OMA) Phil Robertson 61 points.

4th Alinghi (SUI) Ernesto Bertarelli 62 points.

5th NORAUTO (FRA) Franck Cammas 65 points.

6th INEOS Rebels UK (GBR) Will Alloway 68 points.

7th Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) Roman Hagara 81 points.

8th Realteam (SUI) Esteban Garcia 96 points.

9th Argo (USA) Jason Carroll 101 points.

10th Zoulou (FRA) Erik Maris 104 points.

11th Frank Racing (NZL) Simon Hull 106 points.