HISTORY SHOWS HUNGARIAN RACE TO BE A ‘TOSS UP’ TO WIN!
6 DIFFERENT WINNERS IN THE LAST 7 YEARS MAKES THIS A CLASSIC!

LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND (10^TH MAY)—What does Swede Anders Andersson, American Don Johnston and German Michael Werner all have in common? No, their not new members in a super rock group, they are 3 of 6 different drivers that can claim they were winners of one of the most exciting and historical Grand Prix’s on the U.I.M. F1 World Championship for power boating tour; the Grand Prix of Hungary!

In the 12 previous years of this Grand Prix on the Danube River, one thing is for sure, it’s not a place to think you have a “sure thing” when you arrive as a driver and think you are going to win. The only thing that is sure, is that no one’s sure who will be the eventual winner on this 2-pin 1.6 kilometer course.

Only 2 pilots can claim to be multiple winners of this event, 5-time World Champion Guido Cappellini of Como, Italy who has won this race 6 times including the last two straight years, and retired driver Michael Werner who will direct his MW Petrobras team into hopefully the winners circle for the first time since he last won in 1995. Werner’s driver Brazilian Paul Gaiser is returning to the Danube for the 2^nd straight year where he finished 6^th a year ago. The Italian Cappellini took his first win at this race when it was still run in Budepest in 1990 and has won 3 times in the last 5 years. The Assicom driver is coming off a victory in Portimao, Portugal and is tied for 2^nd in the title chase with 20 points and hopes to make it a 3 race winning “hat trick” with a victory in Dunajuvaros on the 20^th of May.

The 1998 winner and defending World Champion American Scott Gillman is looking to not only turn around his luck in Hungary where he has failed to finish the last two straight years, but his 2001 season where he has failed to finish in either of the first two races as lead driver for the Emirates team. His teammate Awad Al Quibaisi also looking for his first points of the season, had a great finish in Dunajuvaros a year ago starting 12^th and landing in 4^th place at races end.

The 1997 winner Jonathan Jones of Cardigan, Wales continues to be a long shot to race as he continues to search for sponsorship to get him to the Danube River. Jones has had a real up and down career in Hungary with a crash years ago that almost ended his career only for him to come back later in the season to win the world title and his dominating win in 1997. A teammate for him during that winning season was Italian Massimo Roggiero who has shown flashes of brilliance on the Danube, taking the pole in 1995 while finishing in the top 5 in 4 of the last 6 years including a 3^rd last season. Roggiero is coming off a 2^nd place finish in Portugal and is in the thick of it for the world title again this season.

Current World Championship points leader Philippe Dessertenne of La Rochelle, France with 21 points, has had a 4^th place finish in 1997 as his best result at this course. He has only once since 1995 qualified in the top 10 best has shown a tendancy to come on strong in races he does finish with 3 top 10 placements in the last 5 years. 2001 is been a great season so far for the likeable Frenchman and look for him to be a serious factor in this event in his Fuchs sponsored boat.

While many participants are coming back to familiar ground at Dunajuvaros, this season has seen many surprises already and two of the biggest surprises are Sauidi Arabian driver Laith Fharaon, winner of the openig round in Malaysia and tied for 2^nd in the title chase with 20 points. Pharaon, the many time world offshore world title holder is coming to Hungary for the first time and hopes to keep his momentum rolling along in his Hyatt Hotels/Resorts machine. Swedish rookie Jari Hankala has also been a factor this season with a 5^th and a 4^th in the opening two events, but will have to sit out this race since receiving his 3^rd yellow card in his last event in Portugal. Honkala will be back for the 4^th round in Riga, Latvia the first weekend of June.

Italian start Francesco Cantando, who just missed winning his first world title a year ago by 2 points to Scott Gillman, is hoping to get back on the podium in Hungary for the first time since he finished 3^rd in 1998. Cantando, who was 3^rd at the opening round in Malaysia, didn’t finish in Portugal and has finished twice in the four times he’s raced in Hungary in his Singha Beer F1 Racing craft.

Ex-World Champion Fabrizio Bocca of Italy had had 3 podium finishes and pole position here since he started running the event. His 2^nd in 1990 is his best result losing to Cappellini, while in 1995 he had the pole and was 3^rd behind Michael Werner’s last win in Dunajuvaros. Bocca missed last years race with an injury and his last top 10 was a 7^th in 1997.

Italian veteran Franco Leidi is coming off a 5^th in Portugal in his Waircom Racing DAC hulled boat and was 5^th a year ago in Hungary and his 2^nd top 10 finish in his 4 years in Dunajuvaros. Could this always smiling Italian speed champion make it to his first podium in his F1 racing career?

Another veteran, Andy Elliott of Great Britian is coming off his 2^nd straight 6^th place finish this season and with his 10 points is pushing for his first title, one that he barely missed by 3 points during the 1990 campaign. Elliott has 6 top 10 results at this event including a podium finish with a 3^rd place finish in 1991. In 1998 he qualified 3^rd and grabbed the lead at the start before spinning out and eventually dropping out of the event with mechanical difficulties.

One time pole sitter Fabio Comparato his back from injuries of a year ago and is coming off a 7^th place finish at his first race back in Portugal in the Viking teams Lindab/Nautica machine. Comparato has two straight podium finishes in the only two years he has raced here with a 3^rd in 1999 and a 2^nd to then teammate Guido Cappellini in the DAC Racing a year ago. Teammate Gert Ladefoged of Denmark is here for his 2^nd time starting 14^th in 1999 and finishing 10^th. Gert is looking for his first finish of the season after qualifying 10^th in Portugal.

Argentinian driver Carlos Maidana is coming into town with a new boat and hoping for new results in 2001 looking for his first finish of the season in his OMC powered Texaco RVS machine. He and Cappellini were battling for the lead late in last years event when they got together and Maidana had to drop out with boat damage.

Latvian Victor Kunitch is here for the first time this year having a strong opening outing in the Vivid Teams DAC boat in Malaysia leading before getting hit and eventually dropping out. Kunitch was 9^th in Portugal. Finnish star Sami Selio is here for the 3^rd time and looking to get his first race start in his Exide OMC powered boat. Selio finished 2^nd in Malaysia and is in the battle for the championship but needs a finish in Dunajuvaros.

Hungary is different, it’s a throw back to the “olden days” when 2-pin courses were the norm other than todays multi-pin courses. It’s all about speed and enduring the grind of equipment to hold up the full length of the 60+ lap event. Who will win? Who knows? Cappellini has won two in a row and 6 times while Scott Gillman is the only other driver still racing that has won this event. But new faces have earmarked the 2001 season. Can Pharoan make a serious run once again? What about Roggiero and his new boat coming off a podium? Or, maybe Cantando can turn his back luck around and get back on track? Cantando, is he ready to finally win his first, coming offÊ a 2^nd last year? How about Maidana or Selio with 3-litre OMC power on a 2 straightaway course? May questions with a lot of unfinished answers, well at least until Sunday afternoon of the 20^th of May. Seven winners in the history of the Grand Prix of Hungary? Dunajuvaros is the place to be to see!