CAPPELLINI & ROGGIERO 1-2 IN SHARJAH !
201.35 KPH IS RECORD IN QUALIFYING !

SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates : (12th of December)- Italian Guido Cappellini picked up his 5th pole position and his 47th of his career with a record breaking speed of 201.35 kph and will lead the field of 25 drivers for tomorrow's 3rd Annual Grand Prix of Sharjah the 8th round of the 2002 U.I.M. F1 World Championship for power boating.

Cappellini, who in the final stages of the afternoon qualifying was forced to go out last in the top 6 shootout and run a sub 46 second lap after his team mate Massimo Roggiero had done a fast time of 46.19 second lap around the 2.55 kilometer 6-turn lap on the Khaleed Lagoon in the downtown area of Sharjah, just outside the city of Dubai.

The Zepter Teammates will be 1-2 in the starting table of 25 drivers who have come from 13 different nations to tackle the final two events of the calander. The driver who pu shed the hardest to break up the duo from northern Italy was Fabio Comparato who was 3rd quick with a time of 46.36 and .77 of second off the pole from Cappellini.

Frenchman Philippe Dessertenne, 2nd in the championship with 55 points and with a chance to finish the highest of career in the standings, will start in the 4th position with a speed of 195.94 kph in his Charente Maritime sponsored boat.

Saudi Arabian driver Laith Pharaon will be starting in the 5th position with a speed of 193.42 kph and will be pushing hard to try to get around Dessertenne as he sits just one point behind in the 2nd place chase.

Italian Ivan Torta will start 6th in the Singha F1 Waircom boat with a 47.46 second lap while his team mate Francesco Cantando in his maiden voyage of his new boat did an impressive 48.61 second tour.

Swedish driver Jari Honkala will be in the 8th position with a 48.72 lap, while Gert Ladefoged qualified for the first time in his career in the top 10 with a 48.99 second lap.

Italian Fabrizio Bocca will start 10th in is Corona sponsored DAC with a speed of 186.54 kph. Other surprises were two time World Champion Scott Gillman of the USA starting the lowest of his 6-year F1 career in 11th after breaking two engines and struggling to a 49.21 second lap in the Emirates Seebold hull. His team mates Thani Al Qamzi is 12th and the newest member of the squad Majeed Al Mansouri was a happy 14th in his first ever F1 starting line-up.

Newcomers to the series Bob Trask of Australia will start 19th in his Seebold hull and USA driver Jay Price will start from the 22nd spot in his first time running an English Burgess hull.

The 3rd annual Grand Prix of Sharjah will begin at at 16 00 hours and will run for 50 laps around the Khaleed Lagoon with 24 drivers chasing pole sitter Guido Cappellini on the 5-turn 2.55 kilometer course.