CAPPELLINI CONTINUES MAGIC IN PORTUGAL
DESSERTENNE’S 3^RD MOVES TO CHAMPIONSHIP LEADER !

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : PORTIMAO, Portugal (8^TH April)— Italian Guido Cappellini must wish every race could be in Portugal, as his string of success just kept on  ‘a-rockin’ as he lead every circuit of the races 50 laps event to take the Grand Prix of Portugal, the 2^nd leg of the U.I.M. F1 World Championship for power boating.

Cappellini, a 5-time World Champion has now led 145 of the 145 laps run since 1999 in Portimao controlled the event from start to finish, holding off fellow Italian Massimo Roggiero for most of the race as well as up and coming star Laith Pharaon of Saudi Arabia who had passed Roggiero and moved into 2^nd at the halfway point while chasing Cappellini only to spin out of the event on lap 31.

The Assicom driver now has 59 podiums and 32 wins in a career that began in the middle 1980’s. Cappellini with his victory, now has 20 points on the season and joins Pharaon, who won in Malaysia, in 2^nd place in the championship of the U.I.M. F1 series with 20 points.

The 2001 season continues to befuddle reigning World Champion Scott Gillman of Basalt, Colorado as the Emirates Team driver failed to finish a lap and ended his day on turn 2 of the opening tour with engine problems. Gillman’s failure to finish was part of a double-header of problems for the Emirates organization as teammate Awad Al Qubaisi failed to finish, crashing out on the 4^th lap.

Frenchman Philippe Dessertenne of the Fuchs Team is showing he is shaking off his bad luck of 2000 by moving to the podium for the first time since St. Petersburg, Russia in May of 1998 picking up 12 more points and combined with his 4^th in Malaysia now leads the World Championship with 21 points.

Swedish pilot Jari Honkala continues to impress in only his 4^th event with a 4^th place finish in his Siemens/Castrol/ABG boat running steadily into the top 5 for the 2^nd straight race sitting 4^th in the title chase. Honkala will miss the race in Hungary in 5 weeks because of his receiving his 3^rd yellow card since his arrival last November as he couldn’t get his boat slowed to the official’s satisfaction on Saturdays qualifying session.

Italian veteran Franco Leidi had one of his best days, starting 17^th and finishing 5^th and now 9^th in the championship, while England’s Andy Elliott running a 2.5 litre engine for the first time took 6^th.

Italian Fabio Comparato, returning to racing for the first time since his massive crash in Sharjah back in November, finished 7^th for the Viking Team after teammate Gurt Ladefoged dropped out after 27 laps also running well to that point.

Brazilian Paul Gaiser picked up his first points of the season finishing a well run 8^th for 3 points, while Latvian driver Victor Kounitch struggled to 9^th in his Vivid Team machine picking up the final points of the day.

Finnish star Sami Selio was running strong in his 3 litre OMC until dropping out on the 27^th lap after Francesco Cantando who had been in 3^rd pullled to a stop on the 10^th lap in a tough turn 4 of 9 on the 1.8 kilometer course.

The U.I.M. F1 World Championship for power boating continues it’s 20^th Anniversary season as it moves on to Dunajuvaros, Hungary for the 21^st of May and the Grand Prix of Hungary. Can Gillman get sorted, or Cappellilni get another win.

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