Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Tom Slingsby’s Australian team have edged out their British rivals in a dramatic winner-takes-all final to win the New York Sail Grand Prix and claim their third consecutive SailGP event victory.
The event effectively became a one-day contest after SailGP voided Saturday’s racing, when strong winds prevented most of the fleet from launching on the Hudson River.
The victory was the fourth from six events this season for the BONDS Flying Roos and and extended their lead in the championship standings to 55 points, 11 ahead of Emirates GBR.
The Aussies bounced back after a spectacular nose-dive had damaged their boat and ruled them out of Saturday’s ill-fated racing.
They also had to rally from a ninth placing in Sunday’s opening race with a second-place finish in race two and third in race three before producing their best sailing when it mattered most in the three-boat final against Britain and Canada.
The Flying Roos led at the opening mark before Emirates GBR moved ahead midway through the final. A favourable shift after a tactical split later allowed Slingsby’s crew to reclaim the lead and edge the British boat in a finish that went down to the final metres.
“We were on the back foot all day. It felt like we were just trying to claw our way back into the races,” Slingsby said.
“That last race was exciting. We ended up getting away with it. It was a close one right to the wire there with the British team.”
Slingsby said the constantly changing conditions made for one of the toughest days of his sailing career.
“It was so tough today. That’s one of the hardest days I’ve done sailing, probably in my life, not just in SailGP,” he said.
Spain’s Los Gallos, who arrived in New York seeking a fifth straight podium finish, slipped to fourth in the standings on 34 points after a frustrating day.
Spain’s hopes faded after Saturday’s reduced-fleet results were wiped from the record, before hydraulic problems prevented Diego Botin’s crew from starting the second fleet race on Sunday and reaching the three-boat final.
Emirates GBR opened Sunday with victory in the first fleet race before the United States team delighted home fans by winning race two.
A start-line collision involving the United States, Red Bull Italy and Mubadala Brazil led to the Americans’ disqualification from the final fleet race.
