{"id":81458,"date":"2026-09-06T05:44:29","date_gmt":"2026-09-06T05:44:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/81458\/"},"modified":"2026-09-06T05:44:29","modified_gmt":"2026-09-06T05:44:29","slug":"sailgp-black-foils-need-to-produce-their-sunday-best-and-a-prayer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/81458\/","title":{"rendered":"SailGP: Black Foils need to produce their Sunday best, and a Prayer"},"content":{"rendered":"

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SailGP: Black Foils need to produce their Sunday best, and a Prayer
\n by James Rigby 5 Sep 22:54 UTC<\/p>\n


\n Black Foils SailGP Team – Race Day 1 of the Spain Sail Grand Prix in Valencia, Spain. Saturday 5 September . Rolex SailGP Championship Event 10 Season. Photo: Samo Vidic for SailGP. Handout image supplied by SailGP \u00a9 Samo Vidic\/SailGP<\/p>\n

\"Henri-Lloyd
<\/a>\"Marskeel
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\nNew Zealand\u2019s Black Foils will need to be at their best on Sunday to reach the Spain Sail Grand Prix final after a challenging opening day in Valencia. \n<\/p>\n


\nA penalty for an early start in the opening race left the Black Foils sixth. A fourth followed, before another sixth left the team seventh in Group A overnight, eight behind second-placed Red Bull Italy. The top two teams from each group advance to the four-boat final. \n<\/p>\n


\n\u201cIt was a really tough day today. We struggled to get off the line and then find opportunities beyond that,\u201d said Black Foils co-CEO and driver Peter Burling. \n<\/p>\n


\nStarts proved decisive in Valencia\u2019s light, tricky conditions, with all six of Saturday\u2019s race winners leading at the first mark.
\n\u201cIf you can get your nose in front, build speed and get up on the foils, you\u2019re in really good shape at mark one. We couldn\u2019t quite manage to get that done today, so it was pretty frustrating,\u201d Burling said. \n<\/p>\n


\nDifferent small details had tripped the team up across the three races, he added, with few opportunities to split from the boats ahead and make gains.
\nAustralia\u2019s BONDS Flying Roos lead Group A on 11 points after one win, with Red Bull Italy winning the other two races. Spain\u2019s Los Gallos gave the home crowd back-to-back wins in Group B before a second place, finishing the day on 14 points, two clear of Rockwool Racing. \n<\/p>\n


\nWith 10 points available on Sunday, the Black Foils need at least eight, the equivalent of a win and a third or two second places, to have a chance of reaching the final, depending on results elsewhere in Group A. \n<\/p>\n


\n\u201cThere\u2019s plenty to play for. A couple of teams have probably jumped out a little bit, but it\u2019s super close amongst the rest,\u201d Burling said. \u201cIt\u2019ll be whoever puts together a good performance tomorrow, and I\u2019m sure we\u2019ll still have a shot at making the final going into that last race.\u201d \n<\/p>\n


\nSunday\u2019s racing is scheduled from 1.30pm to 3pm local time, 11.30pm on Sunday 6 September to 1am on Monday 7 September NZT, with live coverage on YoutTube. \n<\/p>\n


\nAbout the Black Foils \n<\/p>\n


\nThe Black Foils are Aotearoa New Zealand\u2019s SailGP team, established in 2020 by Olympic and America\u2019s Cup champions Peter Burling and Blair Tuke. They entered the championship in Season 2 and are now one of its most recognisable teams. In 2026, MSP Sports Capital acquired a majority stake in the team, with the founders continuing as co-CEOs. The Black Foils race with purpose, supporting their Race for the Future partner Live Ocean, the marine conservation foundation the pair founded. At the heart of the team is a mission to race for a healthy ocean, and a healthy future. \n<\/p>\n


\nAbout Live Ocean \n<\/p>\n


\nLive Ocean is a marine conservation foundation committed to scaling up action for the ocean. Founded by sailors and ocean champions, Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, the foundation scales up marine science, innovation and outreach to connect and ignite people around the role a healthy ocean plays in a healthy future. Live Ocean partners with exceptional New Zealand marine scientists, innovators and communicators whose work has global implications for the protection of the ocean and the life in it. To have a healthy future, we must have a healthy ocean. \n<\/p>\n


\nAbout SailGP \n<\/p>\n


\nThe most exciting racing on water, the Rolex SailGP Championship sees national teams battling it out in identical high-tech, high-speed 50-foot foiling catamarans at iconic venues around the world. Racing faster than the wind at speeds faster than 100 km\/h (60 mph), SailGP is driven by the sport\u2019s top athletes, with national pride, personal glory, and a total prize money of US$12.8 million at stake. Powered by nature (wind, sea and sun), SailGP races for a better future. Visit SailGP.com to find out more.
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\"North
<\/a>\"X-Yachts
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