Australia has extended its lead at the top of the SailGP Season Championship with victory in the ROCKWOOL Denmark Sail Grand Prix.
Having won the previous event in Great Britain, Tom Slingsby’s team headed to Aarhus leading the overall rankings, and beating Japan and the Brits in the winner-takes-all Final saw the Aussies move two points clear of Ben Ainslie’s team in second.
In some of the lightest winds of the season so far, which made foiling a real challenge for the teams, Japan won both of Saturday’s two fleet races to mount a remarkable comeback and qualify for the Final, where they were joined by Australia and Great Britain.
The breeze picked up slightly for the Final, but the ‘wind-whisperer’ Nathan Outteridge could not overcome rival Slingsby, the Season 1 champion, who celebrated a second successive event win with an on-boat champagne moment
The Brits, meanwhile, rounded out the podium after penalty drama in the Final forced the team to drop behind Japan, though Ainslie and his team were visibly aggrieved at the controversial decision.
Saturday’s conditions could not have been more different than those on Race Day 1.
Each of the three fleet races on Friday resulted in a different victor, with home team Denmark winning its first ever SailGP race to open the event, before the United States and Great Britain each claimed a lone victory.
But Japan’s brilliance in light winds resulted in dominance on Race Day 2 – at least until the Final when Australiaran away with an easy win as Slingsby’s fine form continues.
