Denmark SailGP Team presented by ROCKWOOL put on its best Grand Prix performance yet at Great Britain Sail Grand Prix, as the Australians took the plaudits in Plymouth.
The Danish boat finished in fifth place overall with a total 21 points – and claimed a pair of podium race finishes – in a dramatic and exciting weekend of racing on Britain’s south coast.
It leaves the Danes full of positive momentum and confidence as they prepare for a landmark homecoming event next month, when the ROCKWOOL Denmark Sail Grand Prix visits Aarhus on 20-21 August.
Heading in the right direction
After a positive Race Day 1, Denmark SailGP Team went into the final day of racing on Sunday with an outside chance of making the overall event podium, but a sixth placed finish in Race 4 put paid to their hopes of scraping into the final match race.
“We just couldn’t start today, we didn’t do well off the start line which is a bit frustrating. But at least we sailed pretty well and fast on the shifts on the course to make some progress through the fleet,” explains Denmark SailGP Team driver Nicolai Sehested.
“We should have done a bit better, we finished one point off fourth and just shy of third spot, so we’re heading in the right direction.”
In Race 5, light winds made for a challenging start that saw both the Danes and New Zealand SailGP Team have to bear away, and Japan SailGP Team earn a penalty for crossing early.
Despite the false start, the Danish team worked hard to battle its way through the fleet and finished in third spot – a second podium, to add to a best ever second-placed race finish on Race Day 1.
Consistency is key
“We always knew it was a process, and not just about coming in and winning races off the bat - but we’re a bit ahead of where we thought we would be, we’re more in the mix than we thought we’d be in just our third Grand Prix of the season,” admits Sehested.
“I don’t think we’re far off making the final match race, maybe even in the next event on home waters.”
After the three Grand Prix events in Season 2, Denmark SailGP Team presented by ROCKWOOL sits in seventh spot on the Season Leaderboard with 17 points – but just five points splits top from bottom to emphasise just how close the racing is in SailGP.
“I think when you look at the leaderboard, we’re probably getting penalised a little bit for being steady – we’ve had a sixth, and two fifths so far, and we don’t have the first or the eighth place finishes that some of the other teams do.”
He adds: “But that’s our plan, keep being consistent and slowly move up the rankings. I don’t think the overall leaderboard really gives the full picture right now.”
Coming home to Denmark
Now, attention turns to the next event in Season 2 – and the first time that SailGP will ever have visited Denmark.
“It’ll be fantastic to race in front of a home crowd in Aarhus, and I think it’ll be a really good event with good winds and good sailing. In terms of pressure, it doesn’t change much – we want to perform every event, but of course we want to show what we can do on Danish waters.
“We’re really proud to be bringing SailGP to Denmark for the first time ever, and we know that the Danish fans will turn out for the event just like the Brits did here in Plymouth. The ROCKWOOL Denmark Sail Grand Prix is really shaping up to be an unforgettable weekend and we will give everything to put on a show.”
