The British F50 hit an uncharted rock just outside the racecourse boundary during final practice; "Incidents like this are tough but that's sport, you're going to have these moments and the teams that keep their heads up are the ones that come back stronger," - Sir Ben Ainslie
Friday 19 August 2022 11:21, UK
The Great Britain SailGP team will not be able to compete in the Denmark event after sustaining significant boat damage during practice.
On the final day of practice on Thursday, the team were completing pre-race training drills when they hit an uncharted rock just outside the racecourse boundary.
The damage sustained included snapping the head of the starboard rudder clean off and damage to the starboard daggerboard and board casing.
Great Britain SailGP team co-owner and driver Sir Ben Ainslie explained more about the situation.
"We sustained a lot of damage to the starboard rudder, daggerboard and board casing," Ainslie said.
"We reviewed the damage ashore and unfortunately, it has put us out of this event, which is a difficult call for the team.
"Incidents like this are tough but that's sport, you're going to have these moments and the teams that keep their heads up are the ones that come back stronger and that's what we are going to do.
"We appreciate all the support from the SailGP Tech Team to retrieve the boat and help repair the damage ready for racing in Saint-Tropez next month."
For the rest of the teams, the action commences on Friday in Copenhagen, live on Sky Sports at 2.30pm.
Home favourites Denmark will be looking to build upon their strong outing in Plymouth last time out. Peter Burling and his New Zealand team will also be keen to press forwards after winning the final match race in England.
The Denmark Sail Grand Prix event will feature five fleet races over the course of Friday and Saturday, before a three-boat match race will decide the overall event winners on Saturday.
After taking an advisor role for the Swiss team in Plymouth, Nathan Outteridge returns to the driving seat in Denmark and he will share that role with Sebastien Schneiter. It will be the first time that Outteridge has competitively raced one of the F50 boats since the Season 2 final in San Francisco back in April.
The Denmark Sail Grand Prix event is the fourth event of Season 3, with 11 events taking place in total. The season will conclude with the SailGP Grand Final in San Francisco in March 2023.
The British team will now focus their attention on a return to action in the French Riviera on September 10 and 11 for the France Sail Grand Prix in Saint-Tropez.
