From the light wind forecast to Taylor Canfield subbing into the U.S. team, we round up five things to watch out for when racing resumes in Taranto.
In stark contrast to day one of Taranto, which driver Tom Slingsby described as a ‘shock to the system’, day two promises lighter winds and a change in the F50 configuration. Will the teams more comfortable in heavy wind conditions struggle in light airs? And does this open the door to other teams, such as Spain and Switzerland, to make a comeback?
Can France hold onto its Season 4 comeback?
Currently second on the event leaderboard, Quentin Delapierre’s France had an impressive first day in Taranto after a disappointing start to the season. But, still getting to grips with new flight controller Jason Saunders and less confident in light airs, can France hold on to this momentum to make it into the three-boat Final?
Can Emirates GBR make it two wins in a row?
After a long-running win drought, Emirates GBR bounced back in Saint-Tropez and put in another impressive performance in Taranto to top the leaderboard heading into the second day of racing. But can Ben Ainslie’s team ride the momentum all the way to another event win?
Taylor Canfield subs in for Hans Henken
Former U.S. SailGP Team athlete Taylor Canfield has subbed into the flight controller role after Hans Henken was injured on day one. The team currently sits in 6th with 15 points and has two fleet races left to make an impact before the line-up of the three-boat Final is decided.
Points tight at the top
There are currently just three points separating the top four boats – Emirates GBR, Australia, France and ROCKWOOL Denmark, leaving everything to play for on day two. Crews will have to put it all on the line to remain with a chance of making it into the top three.
Racing resumes at 13:30 CEST.
