Mumbai, India, March 6, 2004. Qualifying for pole position took place today - a little delayed from the scheduled start as a surprised boat crew came across a floating mass of coconuts heading towards the race course.  As the nuts were rounded up, drivers and crew were informed that it was traditional practise on the eve of the festival for coconuts to be offered to the sea.... racing commenced a couple of hours later!

Boasting the shortest course in the Championship this year, crowds were in for a treat with faster lap times and speeds than ever before, some exceeding 245km per hour.

Snatching pole position with just 20 seconds to go, following a power steering problem necessitating repairs for almost his entire allocated time slot, World Champion, Guido Cappellini was delighted with his result.  "Today saw a lot of excitement in many ways, not least the problem with my steering.  I pushed hard and drove aggressively for the little remaining time I had and managed to score the fastest lap of 36.74 seconds."

Second place was secured by American Scott Gillman racing for Team Emirates with a lap time of 37.29 seconds.  "Racing was difficult today as the water was rough.  Tomorrow will be very challenging as it's a short course with lots of traffic - it will definitely be exciting!"

Finnish, Sami Selio came in third place with a time of 38.06 seconds.  With a history of doing well at the first race of every season, Sami just puts it down to luck. "I have an excellent engine from Mercury and I am determined to drive consistently, finish the race and have a good season.  It's difficult to catch either Guido or Scott however I am learning a lot from their technique and style."

The UIM F1 Powerboat Championship of India will start tomorrow at 12noon in the hope that weather conditions will remain calm.  The shorter course and faster times will mean 60 gruelling laps for drivers over the 45 minute race period.

Activities will commence at 11am with the Star Florida water ski demonstration, a naval helicopter display followed by the parade of boats at 11:45am.  Tomorrow marks the Holi Festival - a festival of colours where red coloured Gulal powder is literally thrown at anyone passing by, as part of the fun of the celebrations.  Flags of all the countries will be displayed in the water during the F1 Powerboat Championship in honour of this colourful festival.

Live TV Coverage of the race on Sunday can be seen in Asia on ESPN Star Sports, AB Motors in France and the Sailing Channel across Europe.