CAPPELLINI LOOKS FOR MORE SUCCESS IN CAMPIONE!
CANTANDO, COMPARATO, SELIO, SEEBOLD & GILLMAN HOPING TO CHANGE HISTORY!

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (11th May, 2002) – The shores of Lake Lugano have been a historial masterpiece of racing records on the water for the past 75 years. However, the one record everyone attending the 6th Annual Grand Prix of Italy at Campione d' Italia will be wondering is if nearby neighbor and 6-Time World Champion Guido Cappellini can keep his streak of success in tack.

The native of Como, is now the early leader in the drivers championship for the U.I.M. F1 World Championship for powerboating after his close victory under the yellow flag two weeks ago in Portimao, Portugal at the opening Grand Prix of the season.  Finland's Sami Selio of the VividVelden Team was ready to pouce and challenge Cappellini for the final few laps, but the green flag wasn't dropped as the course wasn't ready by the time 52 laps had been completed. For Cappellini, he worked his way to the front and was in the right place at the right time to take his 40th victory in his career and now leads the championship with 20 points.

Cappellini feels confident that he can bring his Zepter DAC Team to the front once again considering he has won 3 of the previous 5 F1 events at the Lake Lugano site including the last two straight in 2001 and 1997. He has only dropped out once in the 5 races in Campione and holds 4 pole positions.

Selio brings not only confidence but some success to Campione as he qualified his best in 2001 at this circuit with a 4th only to crash out of the event. Sami, running the only V6 3-litre engine from Johnson, is hoping he can carry his success a step farther and win his first ever event in his 5 year career in F1.

However, this won't be an easy year for the 42 year-old as he is being chased by not one or two drivers, but by many others who feel they can win the title in 2002. Francesco Cantando, early leader of the race in Portimao, has either won or crashed in the last 5 events on the tour. He got tied up with Saudi driver Laith Pharaon at the chicane on the front straightaway on lap 9 with both blowing over ending Cantando's dream of winning for his 7th time of his career. The native of Milan has his boat ready and is hoping to do one better than his 2nd to Cappellini in 2001.

Fabio Comparato of Padova, Italy led after Cantando went out and dropped down only after developing handling problems in the race drifting down to an eventual 4th. He missed the pole by 1/100th of a second and is confident he can win his very first F1 Grand Prix victory in his home country with his many friends who are making their way over from Venice. Last year was his first visit to Lake Lugano and he qualified 3rd only to drop out before the end of the event.

American star Mike Seebold will be ready for his 2nd ever multi-right hander course in his new Kevlar Seebold hull that finished 3rd a day after it first hit the water in Portimao. The new team with many time World Champion Michael Werner conducting is looking like a good marriage early in the season. For the St. Louis, Missouri native, he has more racing experience than anyone including Cappellini with 30 years in front of a transom despite being at his prime at 43 years-old. Seebold, who he and Michael Werner and Manfred Mueller put the package so quickly together before the season that he was the only driver to race in Portugal without power stearing. That will change this upcoming weekend as he will drive for the first time with it on board. A continuing learning process for the likeable American.

Another charger from North America who has proven his excellence on the tour is 2-time World Champion Scott Gillman of the Emirates Team who has had an up and down stint here in Campione. For the Los Angeles native, at his first appearance in 1997 Gillman had the pole and settled for 3rd. Last season, his weekend was scattered with a new boat being brought in and turning into his worst qualifying effort of his UIM F1 career starting 6th before getting run down by Japanese driver Sugihara while in his chase of Cappellini early in the event. His race in  Portugal was a steady one, sitting in 3rd before falling into a hole at the 2nd restart of the event and ending his day on the back straightaway.

Fabrizio Bocca of the Rainbow Racing Corona Beer Team may have had the best drive of the day in Portimao on his way to 5th after starting last off the start pontoon. Bocca, a past World Champ seems to have rekindled the fire that he has shown in the past and is looking to continue to educate his new teammate Vincenzo Polli a past off-shore champion in the ways of F1, but also wanting to get back to the podium again. Something that has eluded him in the past few seasons.

Massimo Roggiero teammate of Cappellini on the Zepter Team, had a frustrating start to the 2002 season, qualifying a solid 7th but struggling with handling and eventually falling out of the event after 18 laps. Roggiero who reached the podium here in 1995 is hoping for a repeat performance.

Saudi driver Laith Pharaon had a top 6 qualifying effort in Portimao but had a bad start pushing early in the chicane and was being lapped by leader Cantando when the two touched ending both drivers days with a spectacular double barreled blowover. He has had great success here in his only visit in 2001 with a podium 3rd place finish after qualifying 5th. He's looking for more this year.

French driver Philippe Dessertenne, 3rd in the title chase last year had a disappointing qualifying performance in Portugal starting 14th but more than made up for it as he reached as high as 4th and was pushing Seebold for 3rd before he ran out of gas on the very last lap and settled for 7th. His history at Campione has been a 7th, 8th and 9th in the last three trips there.

Portugese driver Duarte Benavente had a steady run in his newly redesigned English built Burgess hull qualifying 8th and finishing 6th. The native of Lisbon's only other run in Campione was last year where he finished 8th after qualifying 10th. He feels he can do even better at this years Grand Prix.

Britan's Andy Elliott came charging from the back of the grid in Portimao after starting in the back with Bocca and finished 9th when the day was over. His new Kiwi boat from New Zealand wasn't as far along as he wanted it when it arrived, but the boys from "down under" worked hard and got it up to the quickest in morning warm-up and ran it to the top 10 when the day was over. Now that it is sorted, maybe it will be quicker in Italy.

Another large field of international drivers will be on hand in this picturesque setting hanging off the mountains with Switzerland and the Alps as a backdrop. The racing history is hear and more racing history is sure to be made. Was Cappellini lucky in Portugal, or is this another run for a title. We'll know a lot more on Sunday, May 19th when the sun sets on the 6th Annual Grand Prix of Italy the 2nd stop on the U.I.M. F1 World Championship tour.