News Around the World
SailGP is proving very good at helping newer teams get up to speed with extra training days, access to the F50 simulator and sharing of data – as well as the occasional nudge from Sir Russell Coutts. After a patchy season 3 major personnel changes at Team Spain included new skipper Diego Botín, new performance manager Hamish Willcox and a new CEO. The team then won the second event of Season 4 in Los Angeles. The relatively new Danish team were runners-up ahead of Tom Slingsby’s all-conquering Aussies in third
when we managed to trawl the gennaker, which cost us 10 or 15 minutes. It was about 10pm and the breeze was up at 30kt with horrible seas coming from every which way. Perfect timing.’ Having recovered the gennaker they completed the final stretch
under jib and main. ‘It was a beam reach at that point, in gusty con- ditions with big bullets coming off the hills that we could not see. It was the fastest run I have ever done on that final section of the race, but by that stage we were running on pure adrenalin. It was good.’ Across the fleet, however, the customary boisterous post-match
celebrations were muted, in the knowledge that one of their fellow racers had lost his life. ‘It was unimaginably sad,’ said Steve Mair. ‘We had a moment’s silence at the prizegiving. It was a very moving gesture to show respect and a stark reminder that the sport we love can be brutal.’ Ivor Wilkins
SPAIN The right faces in the right places After a tough third season for the Spanish SailGP team, Diego Botín replaced Jordi Xammar as skipper, Joel Rodríguez joined the crew as flight controller and there was also a change of technicians, with the arrival of the Italian Simone Salvà as coach and New Zealander Hamish Willcox as performance advisor. The effects were quickly confirmed at the second event in Los Angeles with a surprise win in the final. And not long after the team’s new CEO Antonio Alquézar first stepped off the plane… Seahorse: How did you find the team when you joined? Toni Alquézar: I found a team with a lot of talent, with a lot of desire, but it needed stability to develop all the potential. The work of my predecessors was good, they got the place on the circuit and laid the foundations. Now we’re finessing it. Most of our sailors have been in Olympic programmes but never in a professional project. SH: It’s also an intimidating group of rival sailors… TA:We have no ‘complexes’ regarding others. Yes, Russell (Coutts) and others tell you they are very talented, but everyone here believes they are capable of reaching the top. Our team needed a bit more convincing but after winning the final in LA they have no doubts left. Now they go out every day with the knife clenched between their teeth. SH: Your own first steps? TA: First, I needed to make the team financially sustainable! Be independent of SailGP and maybe try to buy the franchise. The budget for a season is 6-7 million euros and the price of a franchise
26 SEAHORSE
starts at 20 million. We retain the support of several sponsors who cover about a third of the annual budget. But we must update those contracts because there is now television coverage in more regions than when they were agreed. Now we are beginning to explore other Spanish-speaking markets, including in the USA where there is obviously a very large Latin population. We also push the audience towards a profile of younger people who do not yet know sailing. SH: What is the plan for season 5? TA: Even if we get more resources SailGP now limit team budgets to make the series financially sustainable. Training time is limited and there is no equipment war as everything is controlled by the circuit. Our biggest step forward will be to plan a season with everyone we want in the right positions. SH: Is there a deadline for the team to be financially self-sufficient? TA: Not because of SailGP, but I have set some dates to meet. I would like for season 5 to be at least 80 per cent self-sufficient. We have good prospects, but we also know that if there are 14 or 15 events then costs go up accordingly. SH: What is SailGP’s own road map… TA: The plan is to add one or two events per season. The challenge is largely one of logistics, moving the circus to different venues. Today there are a good number of cities that want to host a regatta, it is about putting the puzzle together correctly. My opinion is the limit will be 20 events in a few years’ time. I do not think there is a saturation problem, it is good we have a calendar to follow the regattas, as in F1 and Moto GP. As for the teams, we think the maximum number is 12 participants… which is currently agreed. Our television audience continues to grow, now we are in 212
territories with important agreements signed in France, USA, Mexico and so on. My challenge is to improve the audience in Spain so more people see us on our two main channels (Esport 3 in Catalan and Teledeporte in Spanish) and on our YouTube channel. We have more followers each year but there is huge space for improvement.
Flying to the moon Diego Botín skippers the Spanish SailGP team… and he is also preparing for Marseille 2024. SH: How much time can you spend in the 49er these days? Diego Botín: Ten months before the Games the Spanish Sailing Federation has already announced us as the team in the 49er class. That certainly helps. In previous campaigns it was not like that, because either we had to win the internal Spanish selection, usually
RICARDO PINTO/SAILGP
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