RIVAL’S WINDFALL: SUPER FOILER LEADER COMES UNSTUCK BY STRONG CONDITIONS
WINDY conditions on the Gold Coast yesterday saw Euroflex’s stranglehold on the SuperFoiler Grand Prix come unstuck.
It was Team iDintranet that caused the upset of the series, breaking the dream team’s 21-race winning streak.
But the three-lap race was cut short when Team Tech2 got its boat caught in the top end marker.
That saw results determined on the boats’ positions following the first lap, in which Euroflex turned in last following a mishap that saw Glenn Ashby and Iain Jensen thrown off the boat.
Euroflex received just two points as iDintranet claimed a maximum 12 on the double-point day of the regatta.
Race two had to be postponed, however, as winds pushed beyond 20 knots.
The sailors later agreed to race once more to end the regatta, with Euroflex – skipped by Olympic champion Nathan Outteridge – returning to the winner’s stall.
Euroflex finished with seven wins from eight races on the Gold Coast, its 50 points just eight clear of next best Tech2, which produced a consistent regatta.
But Outteridge said the final win of the day wasn’t as comfortable as it looked.
“I think looks can be deceiving, to be honest,” Outteridge said.
“That last race was just about getting the craft around the course rather than pushing it.
“We’ve kind of got Formula 1 cars here driving around a carpark; it’s so small and you can never actually get your foot down and get the boat going because you’ve got to turn again.
“Yesterday was champagne sailing; today was the upper limits and I think we got away with it.”
The final rounds are in Busselton, WA, from March 2 and Sydney from March 23.