Cappellini Will Face Monumental Challenge For Repeat!!

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (17^th of April) – If you love change, then you are going to love following the "new look" 2002 U.I.M. F1 World Championship for power boating as new faces and new challenges from both sides of the Atlantic, make the start of this upcoming season one of the most anticipated in years. An expected field of 22 drivers from three different continents head for the opening round in Portimao, Portugal and the 3^rd Annual Grand Prix of Portugal.

Leading the field will and once again wearing the #1 plate will be defending and 6-time World Champion Guido Cappellini of Como, Italy in his DAC Zepter Racing machine with new-old teammate Massimo Roggiero who joins Cappellini for the first time since the 1998 season. For Cappellini, he will introduce a new boat possibly as early as the season's 2^nd round in Capione D'Italia in a hull that he calls "revolutionary". The 42 year-old pilot from Italy's north country has won at Portimao all three times and has dominated the course on the Algarve. For his teammate Roggiero, it's a return to a team where he won for the only time on the circuit back in Stresa in 1998. Last season, Roggiero had two pole positions and tied for 6^th in the championship with a pair of podiums. In Portugal, Roggiero had a 2^nd to Cappellini a year ago and a 4^th in 1999.

A driver who has been the "bridesmaid" and not the bride the past two seasons finishing both years 2^nd in the championship is Italy's Francesco Cantando lead driver of the Singha Beer Team. Cantando is 2^nd in wins to Cappellini in the last two years with 6 including winning 3 of the final four in 2001. The 26 year-old native of Milan had the title in his hip pocket until the penultimate round in Sharjah when he got tied up in the first pin of the event and dropped out of the event and the championship title. Cantando is ready to gamble, and this season he is doing just that with a winter of building his first F1 hull. A boat that is expected to be seen on the circuit by June. Cantando is ready to take the mantle away from Cappellini, he has the determination to get the job done and hopes to start it off with a nice place in Portimao. Francesco has a 2^nd in 2000, but has been plagued with 2 DNF's in the race history's 3 year run.

A challenge from the Middle East comes from Saudi driver Laith Pharaon who has been busy at Mercury's Lake X secret test area in Florida in the USA, hopes to continue his steady transition from offshore winner to inshore winner. Pharaon, who won in only his 7^th career start at the beginning of the 2001 campaign in Malaysia finished 5^th in the title chase with three podiums while leading 5 events. The lead driver of Team Green has a DNF in his one start in Portimao.

The first of a two prong attack from North America comes from veteran and 2-time World Champion Scott Gillman lead driver of the three boat Emirates Team. Gillman, who had his 10-year race winning streak stopped in 2001, won the pole position championship with 4 top times in the 10 race schedule a year ago, while going the first five events without a point. He ended the season with 3 2^nd place finishes in the final 4 races and looks to regain the top of the World Championship ladder in 2002. His team also is preparing a new boat for the season, but like Cantando isn't expected to be seen until the 3^rd of the season is completed. The native of Glenwood Springs, Colorado is expected once again to run his two year old British Burgess built hull as he had a 2^nd here in 1999, but has failed to finish the last 2 years. His teammates once again will be Awad Al Qubaisi of Abu Dhabi, UAE who was suffering a bit of the 2^nd year blues finishing in the points in 4 of the 10 races with a pair of 5^th's as his best efforts. In Portugal, Awad has a best finish 6^th in 2000 and failed to finish a year ago. Along with Al Qubaisi will be promising newcomer Thani Al Qamzi who finished 14^th in the title despite joining the team at the 3^rd event of the year. Thani's best effort was a podium 3^rd place in Sharjah were all three drivers of the Emirates Team finished in the top 5. It will be his first start in Portugal.

Portugal's favorite driver Duarte Benavente who finished here 4^th in 2000 has spent the winter reworking his Burgess English built hull and hopes to get back into form after finishing 10^th a year ago with season best 5^th in Sardinia. Teammate on the Atlantic Team to Duarte is Swedish speedster Jari Honkala who dispite not running every race in 2001 still maintained 8^th in the championship and had a 3^rd, 4^th and a 6^th in his final three events in 2001. Honkala a native of Finland was the rookie-of-the-year with all but one of his finishes in the top 5. He should run even better this season now that he knows most of the circuits. He was 4^th here a year ago in his only start.

Sami Selio in the VividVeldon F1 Team will be a bit of a "wildcard" running faster he hopes than an eventual 9^th place finish a year ago. Of the 6 finishes in 2001, five of these were in the top 10 including a 2^nd place finish in Malaysia, a race he thought he had won until the end. The Finn who has been plagued with money shortages his whole career is looking to prove his talents this year with a very good projected team set-up.

Past World Champion Fabrizio Bocca of Italy starting his 17^th season is teaming up with fellow Italian Vincenzo Polli who comes over from offshore racing. Bocca, who when we last saw him had his new hull burn to the waterline in Sharjah, has come back strong in the offseason and will have Corona Beer sponsorship with his Rainbow Racing effort this campaign along with new boats. The Caselle, Italy native will be looking for his 4^th career win in Portugal having finished 3^rd and 7^th in the three races run on the South Coast.

The veteran of the series and the "Pride of the British" is Andy Elliott the 46 year-old driver who has been running these boats since the start of the 1990 season when he finished 2^nd in the title run. The UK native who first started racing in 1969, will introduce a new "KIWI" boat the KRB composite hull taking 10 months to build in Picton, New Zealand. The boat was tested in mid-March by both Elliott and Malcolm Jamieson on Waikawa Bay and then shipped to Europe. Andy and the men "down under" have high hopes for the hull this season with the KRB designers expected for the opener.

The big off season news comes also from "across the pond" with word that the MMW Team of Kerpen, Germany has put together a driver line-up that includes a driver from the most famous name in tunnel boat racing in many time USA champ Michael Seebold of St. Louis, Missouri. Seebold, who last raced in the series in 1988 when he was runner-up to eventual champion Chris Bush of the Acadian Team, last raced on the tour in Abu Dhabi in 1994. His last win was in 1994 as well. Seebold brings to Michael Werner's Team a driver who will race for the title as the 40 year-old looks for new challenges in his already colorful career. Seebold has raced since he was fourteen and has a 3 USA Titles his last in 2000. He carries on the family tradition that began back in 1938.

Along with Seebold will be Austrian driver Rupp Temper who started three races a year ago and is expected to run his first full season after running a few races the last two seasons.