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Record and damage for Aussie SailGP boat

3 minute read

Australia's SailGP boat is facing a battle to get wing damage repaired after setting a training speed record.

Australia is battling to fix some damage to their boat in time for the next SailGP round in England this weekend, after setting a speed record in training.

The foiling 50-foot catamaran skippered by 2012 Olympic Laser champion Tom Slingsby reached a speed of 51.24 knots (94 km/h), within the first hour of training at Cowes on Wednesday.

It beat Great Britain's recorded speed of 50.22 knots (93 km/h) from the previous day,.

But the elation of the Australian crew was short-lived as going back to shore they suffered a damaged wing-flap, which means they now face a battle to have the boat ready for Saturday's first races.

"'We have an amazing technical team onshore here, and they're going to put in some long hours to help us get back out racing," Slingsby said.

"The wing is broken and it's going to take a few days to fix so we will miss training tomorrow and probably won't sail until we race on the weekend.

"It's unfortunate but it's what happens when you only have two days of training scheduled and you break your gear on day one.

"We will be going into the event now with two hours of training compared to other teams who have been sailing for a week which is tough."

Slingsby said it had been an awesome moment for his crew when they hit the 50-knot mark.

"It's been something we've been trying to achieve all season," he said.

"We were obviously disappointed that Great Britain broke through the barrier first as they hit the water before us

"But we were pumped to be able to not only hit the 50-knot mark but actually beat Great Britain's speed."

All six teams will now be seeking to break 50 knots for the first time in a sailing race - setting the official record for SailGP..

Australia are second in the overall standings, with just two of the five events of the inaugural season left.

Japan, skippered by Australian Nathan Outteridge lead on 140 from Australia 139, Great Britain 106, United States 105, and China and France, both on 93.

The top two pointscores will meet in a $US1 million winner-takes-all match race final in Marseilles, France in September.

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