Kyle Langford gives insight into ‘scary’ SailGP Sydney speed chase after moving to Italian crew

SailGP gun Kyle Langford has given an insight into the wet, wild and high risk speed chase that could see 100km/h broken on Sydney Harbour – and the fear and pain involved.

Team Italy, with Kyle Langford, racing in the SailGP Auckland event. Pictire: Phil Walter/Getty Images

SailGP gun Kyle Langford has given an insight into the wet, wild and high-risk speed chase that could see 100km/h broken on Sydney Harbour – and the fear and discomfort involved.

Langford, who has jumped from the Australian team to the Italian crew this season, said the chase to break 100km/h in racing and the increasingly astonishing speeds being reached make for anything but a smooth ride on the foiling 50-footers used in the 14-event SailGP series.

Langford describing being aboard the F50 SailGP catamarans at speed as “like standing on the roof of a freight train in the rain’’.

“The speeds that these boats are doing, none of the sailors, you know, really want to do those speeds. It’s scary,’’ Langford revealed.

“It’s really the designers and the engineers of SailGP who have given us these tools.

“Nobody wants to be going that fast. But we’re all competitive. You push it as fast as you know to beat the guys.’’

Langford, who grew up at Newcastle racing regularly on Sydney Harbour, this weekend will race with the Italian crew for the first time on home waters after being aggressively poached from the highly successful Flying Roos team which won the Sydney SailGP event last year.

Langford and Team Italy competing at SailGP Auckland last month. Picture: Phil Walter/Getty Images

Langford is regarded as one of the top wing trimmers in the world series where Sydney is the third stop on a 14 event circuit.

An America’s Cup winner, three times SailGP series holder and a Volvo around the world racer, Langford believes it is feasible the 100km/h mark could be broken for the first time in the SailGP racing on Sydney Harbour with the boats supped up with new T-foil technology which has made them significantly faster.

Langford said it is a race that will thrill spectators but which comes with its own perils.

“I mean, to be honest, it’s a bit scary, especially, you know, with our team, because we are learning,’’ he said.

The racing is close and fierce in SailGP. Picture Bob Martin/SailGP.

“We’re crashing more than the experienced teams. And so the consequences of those crashes, you know, they’re pretty big.

“We saw in Auckland there were two concussions in one day from the boats kind of crashing off the foils at high speed and just the water pressure hitting somebody in the head gave them a concussion.

“It is dangerous but we’re very aware of the risks.

“But whenever you’ve got your competitors next to you want to beat them and push a little harder. That is the nature of sailing these boats.’’

The Spanish team in a close call in Auckland.

Langford said racing at such high speed is anything but comfortable.

“Sailing these boats is almost like standing on the roof of a freight train in the rain because they’re moving all over the place,’’ he said.

“They may look kind of smooth in some of the images or some of the videos, but they are shaking all over the place.

“And just crossing the boat in itself is a challenge, so you typically try to do it as quickly as possible because that’s a high risk moment when you’re not safe inside your cockpit.

“The things are just shaking all over the place. It’s hard to hold on really and when you stop and crash off the foils, that’s when it really hurts.’’

“If you go a little bit too high (on the foils) before the boat would slide to the side and then it would kind of settle back in again.

“With these (foils), if you fly a little bit too high, they just crash out of the sky.

“They’re not very forgiving.’’

The last event in Auckland saw some spectacular crashes with the Australian team sailing the best and winning the event overall.

Langford said it is a little too early for the young Italian team to be tackling the Aussies but he looks forward to the day it happens.

“I think the Aussies and the Kiwis are still the standouts, and it’s going to take a little bit for us to become competitive with them,’’ he said.

The Sydney SailGP event will be raced Saturday and Sunday.

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Originally published as Kyle Langford gives insight into ‘scary’ SailGP Sydney speed chase after moving to Italian crew