It’s all hands on deck at the SailGP Tech Site in Los Angeles where teams are working around the clock to fit the F50 fleet with the largest 29m wing.
The late call to move to the largest wing came after lighter winds than expected were forecast, with Los Angeles’s thermal acceleration zone known as Hurricane Gulch failing to show up.
The F50s were originally fitted with the all-purpose 24m wing, which is suitable for use in higher winds.
Speaking on site, France driver Quentin Delapierre said the call to switch came ‘pretty late’, but ‘everyone in SailGP is able to adapt’.
“If the clouds stay like this I think it will be pretty light - but it’s SailGP, you just have to adapt yourself every time,” he said.
U.S. wing trimmer Paul Campbell-James meanwhile revealed that it takes around ’45 minutes’ to extend the wing from 24m to 29m. SailGP’s craning in operation started at 09.15 PDT, while the final lift scheduled for 1.30pm
“They’re just doing the first wings that will be lifted now and then we’re going to try and bang through them as the day goes on - hopefully we’ll make it in time.”
Racing resumes at 16:00 PDT on Sunday, July 23. Full broadcast information and How To Watch details are HERE.
