by Miranda Blazeby – SailGP Media
Australia strategist Tash Bryant has pointed to the team’s stellar starting as key to its success in Auckland.
Speaking on Reaching the Apex, Bryant said ‘as soon as you were a bit clear at Mark 1, the course really opened up for you and you didn’t have to deal with any traffic.’
“In conditions like today when it’s really quite wild, being able to do things on your own timing is really key and from there is makes the course a lot easier.”
The Aussies topped two out of three starting stats; they were consistently positioned closest to the start line- just 16.9m away, and were the quickest to cross the line after the gun taking an average of just 1.1 seconds. When it came to starting speeds, the Aussies recorded the second highest of the fleet – 54.1 km/h, while Ruggero Tita’s Red Bull Italy recorded the highest – 56 km/h.
Australia’s stellar starts meant the team picked up the highest Mark 1 ranking – an average of 2.5 – and the team managed to build on this ranking, picking up an average fleet race finish of 2.2.
Looking ahead, Bryant also backed the team in high wind conditions, like those seen in Auckland.
“We’re always really excited for the southern hemisphere events – all the windy venues we absolutely love,” she said. This is in contrast to the light air events like Dubai, which saw the Aussies have ‘a tricky one’, she admitted.
“But we’re growing as a team and all getting better together so I think it will be an awesome season.”
The F50 fleet will next meet at the KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix | Sydney on February 8/9.
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