SailGP has confirmed that its new high-speed T-Foils will be added to its entire international fleet of F50s in January 2025, ahead of the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Auckland. SailGP CEO Russell Coutts said the development would be a ‘game changer,’ anticipating the league’s latest upgrade would bring faster speeds and the most competitive racing to date.
The global racing championship has carried out testing over the past 18 months at venues around the world, with a number of teams getting first-hand experience of the new test foils in training. The Canada SailGP Team clocked 101.98 km/h (in a wind speed of 32 km/h) using the new foils while testing in San Francisco, the fastest-ever speed registered on an F50.
The T-Foils will replace the existing L-Foils that have been used since SailGP’s inception in 2019. Constructed from machined titanium and carbon, the high-speed T-Foils have thinner sections than the current L-Foils, reducing the drag at high speed.
Commenting on the new enhancement, SailGP CEO Russell Coutts said: “The addition of T-Foils next season will be a game changer for the sport and SailGP, as part of our continued evolution to produce faster and more entertaining racing. Alongside the existing innovative technology onboard our F50s, the T-Foils will enable teams to have more control at high speed and better performance. One of the big surprises has been the increased performance when sailing upwind, approximately 5.5 km/h faster.”
Canada SailGP Team helmed by Phil Robertson practice with the new T-Foils ahead of the KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix in Sydney, Australia. Thursday 22nd February 2024. Photo: Ricardo Pinto for SailGP. Handout image supplied by SailGP
Coutts said the foils would also level the playing field for new teams joining the league – and create a learning curve for even the most experienced crews: “With the change impacting the entire fleet, no team will have more experience using these foils, which will likely level the playing field. Fans may be set for a new pecking order and some surprise results next season, which should make for a great spectacle.”
SailGP has had a long-term ambition to introduce T-Foils, which have been specifically designed to improve performance, control and safety of the F50s at high speeds. They are also less prone to damage when subjected to high negative loads in a nose-dive which has been an issue with the original foils.
Safety was also a key consideration in the upgrade. In addition to providing more control and performance, the outer tips of the T-Foils – which protrude outside the hulls – have been designed to break off in the event of a high-impact boat on boat collision. Further testing and refinement of the T-Foils will be carried out ahead of Auckland, before final adoption across the fleet.
In addition to the high-speed T-Foils, SailGP is also in the process of producing new light-wind foils, designed to ensure the F50s are able to get up onto the foils at almost 3 km/h less wind than currently feasible.
Ahead of testing in Dubai, which is where SailGP’s opening event of its 2024/2025 will take place, Coutts said, “I expect the light-wind foils to have an even bigger impact on our racing and the competition as a whole. It will provide faster-paced, more entertaining racing for the athletes and fans in lighter winds and provide greater certainty of racing within the targeted broadcast window – irrespective of conditions.”
Racing full circle around the world, SailGP’s 2025 Season will be the league’s most expansive to date with events spanning five continents. Kicking off in Dubai on November 23-24, 2024, the global racing championship will make stops in iconic destinations, including Rio de Janeiro, New York, Sydney and Geneva. SailGP has confirmed an 11-team lineup will be on the startline in Dubai, with a 12th national team joining the fleet at the second event of the season, in Auckland in January 2025.
