CAPPELLINI ON POLE FOR G.P. OF BELGIUM!
TOMORROW’S RACE FOR FIRST TIME LIVE NET WEBCAST!

MAY 13th, Antwerp, Belgium – Italian driver Guido Cappellini of the DAC Racing team set the pace early with a best lap of 1:04.54 seconds around the giant 2.7 kilometer, 8 turn course to lead the 18 drivers from 11 countries with a speed of 153.39 kph during the 1st session of the Versatel Grand Prix of Belgium, the 2nd round for the U.I.M. F1 World Championship for powerboating.

The wide stretch of the Schelde River which it nitorious for its strong current, forced the pilots to work gingerly through the rough waters. That’s what made native of Como, Italy driving his DAC/Mercury 2.5liter machine set the blistering pace in qualifying so remarkable, a time that wasn’t to be beaten all day including the final 6 boat "shootout". Cappellini found just the right time to get his job done and sat out the wall watching his other competitors try to beat his time which was fruitless. For Cappellini, it was his first pole in almost a year, since the 3rd race of 1999 in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Two drivers who had a shot at the pole came just short of the effort with one starting back in 5th and the other in 2nd. Scott Gillman, the 1997 World Champion who had captured the last 3 straight poles, going back to Vienna in 1999, broke his engine on his final push to overtake Cappellini’s time in the first session and sat out the rest of the day, settleing for 5th quickest in his Abu Dhabi Tourism DAC/Mercury 2.5liter engine hull with a time of 1:05.86 for a speed of 150.31 kph, saving his motor for tomorrow’s race.

The other pilot who came closest to Cappellini, was his teammate, Fabio Comoparato in the Laserline/Castrol DAC/Mercury 2.5liter machine with a 1:04.54 second lap and a speed of 152.35 kph. It is Fabio’s best starting position since pole at last year’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

The surprise of the day came in the form of Jonathan Jones the 4-time Champion giving OMC their first top 3 spot in only their 2nd race in the Fuchs/Eurobet Burgess/OMC 3-liter boat with a time of 1:05.42 for a speed of 151:32 kph. For OMC, it was major progress from the first event 2 weeks ago in Portugal, where their first boat qualified 8th.

Three other Italians were 4th, 6th and 7th, with Francesco Cantando in the Singha Beer DAC/Mercury 2.5-liter machine in the lineup with a 1:05.59, 4th, after Gillman came his ex-teammate Fabrizio Bocca in the Rainbow Racing DAC/Mercury 2-liter with a 1:06.40 and Massimo Roggiero in his Petrobras DAC/Mercury 2-liter at 1:07.83.

The thousand’s of fans who showed up to watch their local hero Danny Bertels, who hadn’t raced in over 4 years, did well with 8th quickest in his SKB DAC/Mercury 2.5-liter machine with a 1:08.99 time. Bertels who has a problem with fixing his boat is hoping to get it’s left sponson ready in time for the race.

Philippe Dessertenne, teammate of Jones in the Fuchs/Eurobet DAC/OMC 3-liter machine was 9th while Portugal’s Duarte Benavente rounded out the top 10 in his Singha Beer Burgess/Mercury 2-liter boat and a time of 1:10.58.

The other big news of the weekend is the announcement that tomorrow’s event will be seen "LIVE ON THE INTERNET" from start to finish beginning at 13:30 CET with a quick "Pre-Race Show" and an explanation of what we can expect on the webcast. The video will continue to follow the festivities leading up to the 14:30 CET (8:30 Eastern Standard Time) in North America, where it join the offical broadcast of the race. Once the race is over, more coverage with the winners podium and post-race rap-up after the event.

This is a first for powerboat racing and will mark a turning point in coverage of the sport. So, don’t forget to join in by turning to the website at www.f1boat.com and watch the production from "Men @ Work as they introduce a full day of U.I.M F1 World Championship to your home! See you there!