The first day of racing in Sydney was packed with drama, with Erik Heil’s Germany coming close to dramatically capsizing.
The incident unfolded in the second fleet race as the Germans approached the French at speed from behind at the penultimate gate.
France driver Quentin Delapierre reacted aggressively, squeezing Germany out of the inside track and forcing them to duck behind. In an effort to avoid hitting a race mark, Germany teetered dangerously in mid-air before the crew managed to balance the F50 and restore calm before finishing the race.
Speaking about the moment, Heil said: “That was big misjudgment of how much height the French would get and for sure that’s 100% me. I felt it was probably ok, but I was also thinking that we didn’t have much influence over the rudder anymore - luckily we stayed upright.”
The team finished the day with an 8-8-5 race record to sit 8th overall heading into day two.
The KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix | Sydney resumes on February 25, with racing from 16:00 AEDT.
