CAPPELLINI LAST ONE STANDING, WINS IN STRALSUND!
DESSERTENNE & HONKALA TOP 3 IN SURVIVAL CONTEST!

STRALSUND Germany: (4th of August 2002) -Italian World Champion Guido Cappellini won his 5h race of the season in no other fashion than a survival test on the 1.7 kilometer 7-turn course in the inner harbour of Stralsund with just 6 drivers coming across the line at the end of the 60 lap race event.

It was a event from the start as American Scott Gillman got beaten to the turning pin by points leader Cappellini for the 2nd spot as Cappellini took to the head of the field of 19 boats during the 6th Round of the U.I.M. F1 World Championship tour.

Gillman worked back around Italian Fabio Comparato who had moved from 3rd to 2nd and was running strong for only a few moments until his lower skeg hit a outside bouy and ended his day at 4 laps and another disappointing effort for the Nautica Comporato team.

The native Californian Gillman chased down Cappellini, while at the same time Cantando closed on the Emirates Team lead driver and eventually passed him and took up the chase on Cappellini. The 6-time World Champion, not willing to give up the lead to his young countryman cut to the inside on Cantando and climbed on his sponson as the two boats touched. As they got together Gillman took full advantage and drove around both to take the lead.

The next 10 laps were the closest 3 boat racing of the season with Gillman, Cantando and Cappellini giving no quarter or taking any in return. Cappellini started sliding back off the pace excepting his fate and looking for points for a title rather than a win. Cantando on the otherhand saw that Gillman had lost a tick with his engine and moved around and extended his lead to almost 7 seconds and cruising to his first win of the season.

However, in 10 minutes the complection of the race would totally change with Cantando on the front straight coming to a stop with a sheared flywheel, another DNF and another victory going away in spectacular fashion. Cantando could only watch from the rolling re-start as Gillman, powered ahead only to have the race stopped again as Ivan Torta and Laith Pharaon got tied up as Torta ran out of room on the inside of turn 5 on the north end of the course and turned into Pharaon forcing him into a barrell roll ending both drivers day.

As the b oats were going around slowly for the restart Gillman slowed to a stop with his engine out of alignment ending his promising effort with his new Seebold hull and looking rejuvenated as he lost a great chance to end his 21 race winless streak.

So, with Gillman, Cantando and Comparato gone, Cappellini was handed the lead for the 4th time this year and all was asked was to stay ahead of charging Frenchman Philippe Dessertenne who had moved up strongly from 10th place to second. Swede Jari Honkala slid into 3rd past Thani Al Qamzi who had done a great job in placing himself for his first podium of the season until he came to a halt with just 8 tours remaining.

Portugese driver Duarte Benavente moved from 12th to finish a fine 3rd , while Danish driver Gert Ladefoged got his first ever top 5 finish and took 4th.

Rookie Pierre Lundin of Sweden took a 5th in only his 2nd event while Michael Weckstrom another rookie driver took the 6th and final running position.

After the event, the post race drama continued with 3 yellow cards  handed out with Cappellini, Lundin and Al Qamzi getting docked for various infractions. Swedish driver Jari Honkala lost his 3rd place podium finish when it was found that his engine failed post race inspection handing the last place on the top steps to his teammate Benavente.

With Cappellini winning he now has 100 points on the season with 5 wins in 6 races. Dessertenne has moved into 2nd with 46 points. Cappellini is rolling towards a 7th World Title and just needs to keep placing to reach this mark at seasons end in the Emirates.

The next event of the U.I.M. F1 World Championship tour will be in two weeks in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia on the 18th of August and the Grand Prix of Malaysia.