Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, December 17, 2004….. Although the World Championship title had been decided it was clear that drivers were ready to do battle today at the Grand Prix of the United Arab Emirates.

Cappellini in pole position quickly took a clear lead ahead of the pack ensuring that main rival Gillman was kept at bay.  Biting hard at their heels were drivers Comparato, Selio and Dessertenne all eager to win the 3rd place position in this years UIM F1 Powerboat Championship.

Despite the midfield battle, Emirates driver Thani Al Qamzi determined from the outset to make an impression in front of his home crowd, managed to hold third place tightly behind Gillman.

Current 2nd place winner in the Championship Francesco Cantando was however not in great form this race having suffered neck problems on his journey over from Italy.  With the pain obviously bothering him, Cantando soon made a decision to retire from the race since there was no threat to his overall position.

By lap 13 Gillman and Cappellini were neck to neck and it looked at one stage that Gillman could pull out all stops and overtake.  Congestion from the other boats luckily worked in Cappellini’s favour allowing him to pull in front once again.

His luck was however short-lived – engine problems on lap 25 forced Cappellini to stop and subsequently retire from the race opening the field for the rest of the drivers.  Gillman seized the opportunity racing ahead, followed by Comparato and Thani Al Qamzi.  Bocca from the Rainbow Corona team was enjoying a fast race at this stage currently in 4th position chased hard by Elliot in 5th, Selio in 6th and Dessertenne in 6th.

Said commentator and ex World Champion Jonathan Jones at this point “F1 Powerboat Racing can be compared to racing an F1 car across a ploughed field” - and it was certainly true with the increased winds causing rough water conditions for the boats.

On lap 32 a fault with Julius Leysens boat on the 2nd buoy ensured a yellow flag was raised slowing down the race while his boat was removed from the course.  This provided the ideal opportunity for Comparato to gain some ground on Gillman and close up the field once more. 

Bocca experiencing disappointing engine problems quickly drove to the pontoon for mechanical support from his team, anxious to return to the line up as quickly as possible.  Sadly his earlier strong form was never recovered forcing him to retire soon after.

Racing restarted on lap 38 with Gillman immediately pulling ahead with an impressive.  Comparato closely followed by Selio and Elliott was pulling out all the punches to stay close to Gillman. 

Another yellow flag ensued following engine problems and retirement by rookie Ralf Sunde, who up to this point had put in a solid race in 6th position.  Elliott sadly also encountered technical problems forcing a very disappointing departure.

At this stage only 13 boats remained in the race and with the waving of the green flag on lap 47 Gillman and Comparato were almost side by side.  Gillman quickly showed his mettle putting in a lap time of 0:56.14 over Comparatos’ 0:57.06 and on until the chequered flag.

Sami Selio with problems earlier in the race managed a comeback, finishing in 3rd place closely followed by Dessertenne, Roggiero and Portuguese Benavente.

Points were also scored by rookie David Trask – his 5th time in the top ten this year and Philippe Chiappe from the Ligier team.  Unfortunately, Thani Al Qamzi did not stay in the top three finishing in 7th position – his disappointment was short-lived as he celebrated alongside his teammate Gillman.

“I’m delighted to win here on my home ground today, “ enthused Gillman.  “I have to put my success down to my team – after all you can be a good driver but if you don’t have a strong support team it’s very difficult to actually win.”

Comparato was equally buoyant. “I’m in good spirits and very excited for my prospects for the next racing season.”

“This race was difficult for me,” commented Sami Selio.  “We lost an engine in the first qualifying session yesterday and all my props were suited for that engine so I was a little nervous to push my boat hard today.  All turned out okay however and luck was definitely on my side.”

Sharjah is the last race in the UIM F1 Powerboat Championship 2004.  Promoter Nicolo di San German was very satisfied.

“It has been a wonderful year with great racing, spectacular venues and new opportunities to showcase our exciting sport to a wider global audience.  We’re looking forward to taking the racing to more new and breathtaking locations next year.  My heartfelt thanks goes to Sharjah for making this race so successful and to all our promoters this year for supporting the wonderful world of F1 Powerboats,” Nicolo commented.