Diego Botin’s Spain Nears $2 Million Season 4 Grand Final with Bermuda Victory
Diego Botin’s team, Los Gallos, achieved a significant victory over two of SailGP’s top contenders, Australia and New Zealand, in a nail-biting three-boat final at the Apex Group Bermuda Sail Grand Prix. This win marks their second event triumph in Season 4 and brings them closer to securing a spot in the highly anticipated $2 million Season 4 Grand Final in San Francisco this July.
Strategic Victory for Spain
After an intense wait to see where Canada would place in the day’s second fleet race, the Spanish team faced tough competition from Peter Burling’s Black Foils and reigning champions Tom Slingsby’s Australia SailGP Team. Spain’s strategic sailing secured them first place, with New Zealand’s Black Foils finishing second and the Aussies in third, thrilling the crowd at the newly located Race Stadium at Morgan’s Point.
Diego Botin’s Insights
Botin shared his excitement:
“It feels like we are getting stronger and it’s just an amazing feeling. The fleet is super tight now and everyone is pushing. We also made an error on the last turning mark in the fifth fleet race – we didn’t know if we were making the final or not at the finish. We cannot sleep after this either because otherwise the best teams will just get better and better and we need to progress and stay focused.”
Canada’s Close Call
Robertson’s Canada team kept the competition fierce, finishing second in three fleet races. However, their chances faltered when they lost foiling before the start of the fifth fleet race, leaving them at the back of the fleet.
Robertson’s Reflections
Robertson expressed his disappointment:
“It’s genuinely painful to be honest. We have been in the situation when the shoe is on the other foot and snuck in and it feels pretty good but copping it on the chin is a tough one.”
Performance of the Black Foils
New Zealand’s Black Foils maintained high speeds and performed impressively throughout the weekend. Reflecting on their second-place finish, Peter Burling commented:
“It’s definitely been an interesting weekend for us – we made our life a little harder at times so it was nice to finish off with a couple of awesome starts and we are sailing the boat the best around the track, probably the best we ever have.”
Drama on the Water
The weekend was not without drama, starting with Taylor Canfield’s USA SailGP Team capsizing due to a user error, taking them out of the competition. The excitement continued with Australia experiencing technical issues during racing, as Slingsby explained:
“Yeah, look, I do think there’s some settings that were changed overnight somehow as we just didn’t feel like we had boat speed and there were a lot of weird things happening, which we didn’t have yesterday. So, we’ll have to get to the bottom of that, but I don’t want to take away from Spain’s win, and they nailed that last start, and they were the best team. So, congratulations to them.”
Looking Ahead
SailGP will return to North America for the final three events of Season 4, starting with the ROCKWOOL Canada Sail Grand Prix in Halifax from June 1-2. Fans can look forward to more high-speed action as the teams compete for a spot in the Grand Final.
For more details and to secure a front-row seat in the heart of the action, visit SailGP.com/Canada.
Final Standings at Apex Group Bermuda Sail Grand Prix
- Spain – 10 points
- New Zealand – 9 points
- Australia – 8 points
- Canada – 7 points
- ROCKWOOL Denmark – 6 points
- Germany – 5 points
- Switzerland – 4 points
- Emirates Great Britain – 3 points
- France – 2 points
- United States – 1 point (USA did not compete in the event)
Season 4 Championship Standings (after ten events)
- New Zealand – 77 points
- Australia – 67 points
- Spain – 65 points
- ROCKWOOL Denmark – 56 points
- France – 56 points
- Canada – 53 points
- United States – 49 points
- Emirates GBR – 48 points
- Germany – 32 points
- Switzerland – 26 points
Season Penalties
- Australia SailGP Team – docked eight points in Season Championship for 12-point penalty at ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch
- Canada SailGP Team – docked four points in Season Championship for eight-point penalty at France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez
- Emirates Great Britain – docked four points in Season Championship for eight-point penalty at ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch
- Germany SailGP Team – docked two points in Season Championship for four-point penalty at Oracle Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix
- New Zealand SailGP Team – unable to compete in Taranto due to the structural failure of the team’s wingsail at France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez
- ROCKWOOL Denmark – docked four points in Season Championship for eight-point penalty at ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch
- Spain SailGP Team – docked two points in Season Championship for four-point penalty at Spain Sail Grand Prix | Andalucía – Cádiz
Impact League Standings
- Switzerland – 372 points
- Australia – 345 points
- ROCKWOOL Denmark – 334 points
- New Zealand – 330 points
- Germany – 325 points
- United States – 321 points
- France – 311 points
- Emirates Great Britain – 311 points
- Canada – 309 points
- Spain – 282 points
About SailGP
SailGP is the world’s most exciting racing on water. The global championship features national teams battling in short, intense races at iconic stadium-style venues across the globe. The high-tech, high-speed action features sailing’s best athletes racing in identical hydrofoiling F50 catamarans, flying at speeds approaching 100 km/h. SailGP also races for a better future, championing a world powered by nature. Visit SailGP.com for more information.
About Apex
Apex Group Ltd., established in Bermuda in 2003, is a global financial services provider. With over 13,000 employees globally, Apex Group provides services in 50 jurisdictions, delivering an expansive range of services to asset managers, financial institutions, private clients, and family offices. The Group has continually improved and evolved its capabilities to offer a single-source solution through establishing the broadest range of services in the industry. Apex Group’s purpose is to be more than just a financial services provider and is committed to driving positive change to address three core areas: the Environment and Climate Change, Women’s Empowerment and Economic Independence, Education and Social Mobility.
About Apex Group Bermuda Sail Grand Prix
The Bermuda Tourism Authority serves as Official Host Partner of the event and Apex Group is the Title Partner. The West End Development Corporation (WEDCO) is the Official Venue Partner, along with Official Partners: leading offshore law firm Appleby, leading insurance firm BF&M, leading independent offshore bank and trust company Butterfield Group, global reinsurer RenaissanceRe, and official supporters Everen and Clarien Bank.
About Bermuda Tourism Authority (BTA)
The Bermuda Tourism Authority (BTA) is an award-winning, accredited destination marketing organization that promotes Bermuda internationally and works to empower our tourism industry stakeholders. Explore Bermuda’s National Tourism Plan at BermudaNTP.com.
