NORTH AMERICAN "INVASION" COMES TO UIM F1 TOUR IN 2002
"WILDCARD" HULL WILL EITHER MAKE OR BREAK MMW EFFORT!

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (18^th April, 2002) – A history lesson'Six years ago not much attention was paid to a little known driver who arrived on the Danube River for the opening round of the 1997 U.I.M. F1 World Championship in Dunajuvaros, Hungary. Why should it' True, he was the defending North American PROP Champion, but this would be his first full season on the World Tour. Since that time we all know the story'.Scott Gillman the cigar smoking soft spoken driver from the mountains of Colorado went on that weekend to take pole, win the next 4 races and went on to be the World Championship that year. He has gone on to win 2 World Championships and goes for his 3^rd in 2002 with the Emirates Team.

This time, the paddock won't be so blindfolded when the 2002 opening round comes to Portimao, Portugal on the weekend of the 27^th and 28^th of April as Germany's Michael Werner and Manfred Mueller  bring another 3-time North American champion over to series. This time it's third generation driver from the world's most famous racing family in Michael Seebold. The 40 year-old driver from St. Louis, Missouri has been racing since he was 14 and has been in tunnel boats since they were introduced to America in 1973.

The "family" has been racing since 1938 when "grandpa" Seebold started racing on the Mississippi River near his hometown. His son, William, better known as "Mr. Bill"Seebold has gone on to be the winningest tunnel boat driver in history of the sport with over 900 victories and 60 world or national championships in his 46-year career that ended in 1997. Younger brother Tim Seebold continues to race and between the two have won 3 North American titles in the last 4 years. Tim continues to run the boat company that now has one-third of all tunnel boat hulls  running in the world today.

The story for 2002 is shaping up to be one of the most entertaining in the history of the sport. As the new fresh Seebold composite boat was being loaded on the airplane in Chicago for it's trip to Europe this week, the pressure immediately shifts to the MMW German team that has made this "Dream Team" line-up possible. For ex-World Champion and Germany's most famous boat racer and tuner Michael Werner of Kerpen, it was a full circle of a dream he has had for the past four years, to get Seebold on his team.

The history of Werner and the Seebold family goes back almost 20 years as Michael, who both raced in North America and Europe as did fellow UIM F1 drivers Guido Cappellini and Jonathan Jones. Unlike these two, Werner always raced Seebold boats in the USA while Cappellini and Jones ran Burgess hulls. Werner won the 1987 championship in a Seebold and has always been a close family friend.

For the MMW Team this is the first full opportunity to show they are a first rate championship caliber team. No more runs in the back of the pack. Austrian Rupp Temper is a driver who continues to improve at every event and will only get better. But, it's the driver that has raced in more tunnel boat events than anyone in the history of the sport, Seebold, who is expected to be competitive right from the start. Expectations high? Why not. Since his last visit on the tour in 1994 he won a race and finished just behind in 2^nd in the other before returning home. How far back does Seebold go? How about winning his first race in the tunnel boat tour in Europe in 1982. That's 20 years ago! Since that time, he won one in 1985, 1986, 1988 and in 1994. He finished 2^nd in the title chase behind American Chris Bush in 1988.

What does all this mean? Well, the pressure is squarely on Seebold, Werner and the MMW Team in 2002. The question marks will be many. Firstly, will the new boat work in the rougher European courses? Will the engine management hold together eliminating DNF's throughout the year? Can Seebold at 40 years old still show the spark that he had even 5 years ago? Maybe. When Cappellini is asked about retirement at 42 years-old he always states the Bill Seebold raced into his mid 55's so why can't he. Enough said. So, for Seebold it's the speed of he and his new boat, for Werner it's his preparation that must spot on and for the team, preparation on and off the race course that will make a difference. One thing for certain, it will make life a lot more interesting throughout the paddock during the 2002 campaign.

NOTES: French driver Philippe Dessertenne who had his best season ever in 2001 with 8 top 5 finishes including 4 podiums and a 3^rd place finish in title run while leading the championship for a time, continues to have high hopes of putting together a program that will see him run a complete season. A one time teammate of Dessertenne is long time and multi-World Champion Jonathan Jones of Cardigan, Wales is also taking a long look of running in 2002. Jones would be a welcome addition to the series having won 25 times in his history. Jones, like Werner and Seebold also won races back in 1982.