ITALIAN CAPPELLINI CRUISES TO 4^TH STRAIGHT VICTORY!
CANTANDO & PHARAON REACH PODIUM!

CAMPIONE D'ITALIA, ITALY (20^th -June) 5-time World Champion Guido Cappellini didn't have to drive a long way to win his 4^th straight race of the season in this years 2001 U.I.M. F1 World Championship for power boating event in nearby Campione D' Italia. The lead driver of the Assicom race team took control from the start off the pole and cruised to a 6 second victory over fellow Italian Francesco Cantando in front of 40,000 fans on Lake Lugano at the Grand Prix of Italy.

Cappellini, who had dropped out of the season's first round in Malaysia in February, has won ever one of the four European rounds and now leads the points championship by 31 points over Frenchman Philippe Dessertenne who could only manage a 7^th place in his most disappointing performance of the season. The 41 year old native of nearby Como, Italy now knows that his main challenge is over as American Scott Gillman of Basalt, Colorado failed to finish for the 5^th straight time this season and is still looking for his first points of the season.

The 2-time and current World Champion, Gillman started 6^th in the event but was able to move to 2^nd after 3 laps and push Cappellini for the next 16 laps until Cappellini's teammate Japan's Yutaka Sugihara came up from 3^rd place and ran over the 42 year old California natives transom ending his day right in turn two and thus wondering if the current title holder will ever pick up at least a single point of this head shaking and disappointing campaign.

While Capellini was leading, the battle for the top five was heating up with first Saudi Arabian pilot Laith Pharaon, the once two time world offshore champion fighting to hold off second position first from 2^nd place starter Italian Massimo Roggiero, then Japanese driver Sugihara. The Tokyo native would eventually finish 4^th after damaging his boat in the Gillman get together on the 19^th lap.

The "drive of the day" had to have come from young Italian youngster Francesco Cantando of nearby Milan. The 26 year old who finished 2^nd in the World Title chase in 2000, had his best run of the year so far, starting 7^th dropping all the way to 20^th when getting caught up with Sugihara on the opening lap, then charging his way to a 2^nd place finish at races end. Cantando, who won 3 events last season, reached the podium for the 3rd time this season with his storming push through the field. His 47 points are 33 behind Cappellini and keep him within earshot of  the title.

The Japanese driver struggled with his boat but continued forward after spinning out and losing 6 places finally finishing 4^th. A constant struggle for the top 5 positions kept the large crowd standing on their toes for most of the afternoon with Latvian driver Victor Kunitch, Italian Massimo Roggiero, Frenchman Philippe Dessertenne and Finnish start Sami Selio switching position for most of the 45 lap event.

At days end, Kunitch finished 5^th, Roggiero 6^th, Dessertenne 7^th while Sami Selio was out of the race as he and Paul Gaiser got together on the 34^th tour. Portugal's Durarte Benavente came home 8tj, while Italian Ivan Torta was 9^th and veteran Italian Franco Leidi was 10^th picking up the final championship point.

Past World Champion Fabrizio Boca dropped out after 18 laps, while Team Viking had a bad luck day with both their pilots failing to finish as Dane Gert Ladefoged and teammate Fabio Comparato were gone by 11 laps.

Brazilian Paul Gaiser, Antonio Feu of Portugal, Briton Andy Elliott and Malaysian driver K.Y. Loi were the final finishers in the 11^th through 15^th positions.

With the victory Capellini now leads the U.I.M. F1 World Championship by 31 points as the 6^th round of the championship moves on to the 2^nd of two straight Italian races this time in Sardinia at Cagliari for the Grand Prix of the Mediterranean on Sunday, July 1^st.