Securing the all-important inside line to Mark 1 proved crucial in New Zealand’s ability to secure its fifth event win of Season 4, according to Oracle Insights.
Data provided by the 10-strong F50 fleet showed that Peter Burling’s crew booked their ticket into the Final by racking up the highest average speed of 45.9 km/h and flight time of 92% in fleet racing.
But in the three-boat showdown between Canada and Emirates GBR, the metrics were marginal - with New Zealand clinching the top average speed of 51.9 km/h by just 0.3 km/h over New Zealand’s 51.6 km/h.
New Zealand sailed 8,252.7m of distance throughout the Final - less than Canada’s 8,490.9m but more than Emirates GBR’s 7,963.3m. However, the Kiwis and Canadians performed 10 maneuvers apiece, while Giles Scott’s British crew executed three extra.
Despite securing first place at Mark 1 and stretching ahead to dominate the Final race, the Kiwis made the worst start of the three teams.
It took Peter Burling’s team 0.5 seconds to cross the start line - longer than Canada and Emirates GBR’s 0.1 seconds, and the Kiwis were also positioned furthest from the line - 7.8m compared to Canada’s 4.1m and Emirates GBR’s 0.3m.
The Kiwis made the slowest start too - with a starting speed of 54.9 km/h, while Canada recorded a 58.8 km/h speed and Emirates GBR recorded 57.9 km/h.
But securing the best position at the line proved the defining moment for New Zealand, from there the Kiwis just stayed ahead, forcing both teams to try something different.
Powered by Oracle, SailGP Insights is an online dashboard which provides fans with huge amounts of data from our cutting-edge racing F50 catamarans.