After the devastating collision between DS France and the Kiwi Black Foils stunned the rest of the SailGP fleet and the on-site spectators, the question has to be . . . how long before a fatality?
Russell Coutts immediately cut the racing fleet in half for the second day to give them more room, and hopefully avoid any more life-threatening incidents.
Coutts had hinted at this fleet-split as the number of teams have grown, but seemed to prefer maintaining the cut and thrust of near misses. Presumably to maintain the jeopardy factor, heavily featured in promo videos, while building the circuits on-screen media presence.
With this second collision putting two crew in hospital . . . The Black Foils grinder Louis Sinclair receiving treatment for compound fractures to both legs, and Manon Audinet of DS Team France being assessed for abdominal injuries caused by the impact. It seems he had waited too long.
Had the recent spectacular team growth overtaken the planned (if there was a plan) introduction and caught Coutts off guard.
The term ‘an accident waiting to happen’ is perhaps too obvious a comment after the event.
Where was the competitor pressure within the teams, and from the teams to the SailGP organisation? Was the scramble to purchase teams and the sudden explosion in transfer fees and salaries too good to rock the boat?
There is unfortunate background to the development of the SailGP Championship. The SailGP F50 used in the event is a development of the AC50 foiling catamaran which raced in the 2017 America’s Cup (AC35).
The AC50 was itself a replacement for the bigger AC72 foiling catamaran used in the 2013 America’s Cup (AC34), and on which crewman Andrew Simpson died when the Artemis Racing AC72 broke apart and capsized.
That 2013 tragedy led to a raft of new safety recommendations, including mandatory body armour, breathing apparatus, and improved underwater communication, all of which are considered standard in SailGP and America’s Cup events now.
But while those safety features have been aimed at protection of the crew members, the major cause of the incidents has taken a back seat.
Speeds have reached over 48 knots (90 km/h) and the numbers competing have gone from five to thirteen (with more to come), while the race circuits have remained minimal to keep them within the view of the spectator stands, and promote the ‘Stadium’ close-action excitement.
SailGP likes to be compared with F1 motor racing, but F1 has built an excellent safety record in recent years, both regards the cars and the circuits, driven by the drivers and teams after years of crashes and regular fatalities.
Something SailGP would do well to get a grip on before there is a fatality . . . because if it is left too late, expect a kickback from the investors so eager to join the merry-go-round at present, but not so eager to be associated with a deadly sporting bubble.
