The introduction of SailGP’s cutting-edge T-Foils will be a ‘game changer’ and force teams to completely rewrite their racing playbooks, according to league CEO Russell Coutts.
The foils, which are set to be rolled out fleet-wide from Auckland next season, are set to bring faster speeds and even more competitive racing. The roll-out comes after extensive testing over the last 18 months, which has seen a number of teams trial the new foils in training. Further testing took place after San Francisco’s Grand Final in July, resulting in crew members on board the Canada F50 setting a new speed record of 101.98 km/h in winds of 32 km/h.
Looking ahead to their introduction, Coutts said the foils would be a ‘game-changer for the sport’ which would mean “teams have more control at high speed and better performance”.
‘One of the big surprises’ from testing, he said, was the ‘increased performance’ when sailing upwind, with speeds up to 5.5 km/h faster.
Coutts also predicted the new foils to ‘level the playing field’ of the fleet and present a steep learning curve for the most experienced crews in the league.
“Fans may be set for a new pecking order and some surprise results next season, which should make for a great spectacle,” he added.
As teams grapple to familiarize themselves with the new foils, the new teams with less experience using the L-Foils are likely to be handed an advantage, he said.
“It will require a whole recalibration of the playbooks and the way these crews sail the boats,” Coutts said. “Of course it advantages the teams with less time in the boat because a lot of that experience on the previous foils is going to shift to new experiences on the T-Foils.”
Looking ahead to the rollout of the foils, Coutts predicted ‘the biggest difference’ to be evident in ‘light wind sailing’. “The boats will foil a lot earlier and I think that’s going to have the biggest impact on the product,” he said.
This will greatly improve fans’ viewing experience, not just through higher speeds, but in more boat on boat action. “The faster the boats go on screen, the more maneuvers they’ll do over a shorter period of time,” Coutts said. “The frequency of interaction between the boats will increase, which is always a good thing and enhances the fan experience.”
While the T-Foils have been designed to improve the performance, control and safety of the F50s at high speeds, they are also less likely to become damaged when put under high negative loads in nosedives. The outer tips of the T-Foils, which point away from the hulls, have also been fitted with sacrificial tips, which means they’ll break off in the event of a high-impact collision.
“The outer tip has been engineered to shatter, so it becomes sacrificial in case of a collision,” Coutts explained. “In simple terms, you’re got more control so you’re less likely to have contact with another boat and if it does have contact, it’s a flat surface rather than a sharp knife edge.”
Following testing in San Francisco and Bermuda, small design tweaks are currently being made to the T-Foils. Once these have been completed and, assuming the conditions are right, the T-Foils will be introduced to racing at the second event of the 2024/25 Season in Auckland.
