SailGP Auckland racing abandoned as Black Foils, France collide

Feb 14 - Two sailors were treated for injuries following a high-speed collision between New Zealand's Black Foils and DS Team France that led to racing being abandoned on the opening day of the Auckland Sail Grand Prix on Saturday.

The incident occurred shortly after the third race of the day began, with television relays showing the Black Foils losing control at high speed and crashing into the French team, whose driver Quentin Delapierre was unable to take evasive action.

SailGP organisers launched rescue and salvage operations, and later said all crew members were accounted for on board, with the two injured sailors, one from each team, in stable condition.

The identities of the injured members remained unclear, although New Zealand driver Peter Burling was safe and oversaw the salvage operations.

“It’s a complex situation. We have to take time to analyse and see if something can be done for tomorrow and the rest of the season,” Delapierre told the New Zealand Herald.

“I think the New Zealand boat is pretty much destroyed, and our boat - the port hull is in bad shape. We’ll see what happens for tomorrow. I don’t think we’ll be able to race, but anything is possible, so we’ll see.”

The Black Foils also crashed in the opening event of the season in Perth last month, colliding with Switzerland.

After the first two races on Saturday, New Zealand were on top of the standings with 18 points after winning race two.

Denmark and France started strongly in the first race, but Australia and the Black Foils kept up the pressure. By gate five, Tom Slingby-led Australia built a lead to win the first race, with the Black Foils dropping to third position.

New Zealand cut through Brazil for space and charged through to lead the fleet, finishing strongly to win race two.

Racing on Sunday has been rescheduled to start earlier due to adverse weather conditions.

SailGP is an international competition featuring high-speed races in identical F50 foiling catamarans capable of speeds exceeding 100 kph (60 mph).

The league pits national teams against each other in a series of regattas held at iconic locations worldwide. REUTERS