New Zealand head into the Sail Grand Prix series decider as the most penalised team, but don’t expect them to change their approach at San Francisco.
With only Australia ranked above them, the Kiwis are expected to book their spot in the three-boat final.
Their trans-Tasman rivals have an 11-point lead, and have already guaranteed their passage to the winner-take-all showdown.
Great Britain and France are NZ’s biggest threat to making the final, but can progress with two good first-up fleet race results.
But despite holding a four-point advantage over nearest rival France, the competition’s most penalised team won’t be resting on their laurels.
“You don’t want to dock yourself points, but it’s hard to not push as well, the fleet is so competitive, that if you take it easy, you end up at the back pretty quickly,” NZ driver Peter Burling told Newshub.
“So, for us, it’s business as usual tomorrow, and going out there to try and get three solid scores on the board.
“It will be interesting to see what the others are doing, whether anyone has a crack at us, and whether GBR and France end up in a big match race.
“But it’s going to be a fun weekend to see how it all unfolds, and looking forward to getting into it.”
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