Three Decades Separate First Timers In Hunt For Award!
LAUSANNE, Switzerland – 20th of November, 2006 – All the talk leading up to the final two rounds of the 2006 U.I.M. F1 World Championship for power boating has been the continuing battle between two multi-time World Champions in Italian Guido Cappellini of the Tamoil Team and American Scott Gillman of the Emirates Team. Just 5 points separate these two multiple time World Champions who between them have 12 world titles while accumulating 75 victories since 1990.
However, to reach this point in your career where Cappellini of Como, Italy, will be starting his 136th race event when the 5th round of the championship moves to the lovely setting of downtown Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates on the 8th of December, along with his counterpart, Gillman, the native of Los Angeles, California starting his 85th race, you have to start somewhere. Thus, this brings us to the three rookie drivers who will be fighting for the coveted “Rookie-of-the-Year” Award at seasons end.
Italian youngster Ivan Brigada a teammate of Cappellini on the Tamoil Team, came into this season with a bang, winning from the pole at the Grand Prix of Qatar on a rough race course on the edge of the Arabian Sea in Doha. His victory stunned the establishment since it was only his 4th career F1 start and at age 26 looks to become a big part of the future of this sport. Since his April win, things have not gone so smoothly for the native of Povia, who has won the F2 title in 2004 along with a pair of Italian F2 crowns in 2003 and 2005. Ivan crashed out in both the Grand Prix’s of Portugal and Italy while failing to make the race in China when he injured himself away from boat racing. He is currently tied for 5th place in the championship with 20 points and still is a long shot for the 2006 title.
Tied with Ivan and the oldest of the three rookie drivers vying for the honor is Jay Price of the Qatar Team. The 46 year-old is coming off a brilliant 2nd place finish at the Grand Prix of China in only his 5th career start. The native of New Orleans, Louisiana has been runner-up in F2000 series a year ago along with a 3rd place on that circuit in 2004. He got a taste of the F1 scene back in the Emirates in 2002 with a pair of races before beginning his full time career on the circuit at this season’s second event at the Grand Prix of Portugal in Portimao.
The third driver for the glory of the Rookie-of-the-Year honors comes from Frovi, Sweden and Jonas Andersson brings with him the best recent resume having won the F2000 World Championship in 2003 and 2004 and the Presidents Cup in the Middle East in 2005. The 32 year-old of Orebro, Sweden alike his other two contestants for the title has raced in three of the first four events of the season with his best result being a fine 4th at his first event in Portugal. Since then, he crashed out at the start of the race in Como, Italy and failed to finish the event at the Grand Prix of China. His 9 points place him currently 12th in the championship and he would like to move into the battle for overall honors with a pair of great finishes in the Emirates.
Past Rookie-of-the-Year winners are showing their skills in a good way this season with 1997 recipient Gillman leading the championship with 50 points in his bid for his 4th world title. David Trask of the XPV Racing Team of Australia is 4th in the championship run courtesy of his first ever podium with a fine 3rd place finish at the last event in China. The Scarborough, Queensland resident also has a 4th at Como and a shot at this year’s title still available to him.
Last year’s winner Fabian Kalsow of the Tamoil Team is tied for 15th place in the championship with a pair of 8th place finishes for the 25 year-old driver from Neustadt, Germany. The 1998 recipient Sámi Selio of the Red Devil Selio Team has struggled this season in race conditions with three straight times in which he has failed to finish. The native of Helsinki, Finland, who finished runner-up in the championship a year ago has one bright spot this season earning his first ever career pole position at the Grand Prix of Portugal. The 2003 winner Julius Leysen a native of Herenthout, Belgium and a teammate to Selio, is having an up and down year sitting 17th in the championship with his best result so far being a 7th at the Grand Prix of Italy.
So, while most of the attention in the racing world will be on the three boat battle between the two Emirates Team drivers of points leader Scott Gillman and his younger Emirates teammate Thani Al Qamzi verses Guido Cappellini of the Tamoil Team in their chase for the world title, the Rookie-of-the-Year Award will give us a unique open window to drivers whom someday will be at the center piece of the sport and proving why they should be declared U.I.M. F1 World Champion.
