CAPPELLINI CRUISES TO WIN AT HOME GRAND PRIX !
AL QAMZI FINISHES 2ND AND ROGGIERO 3RD!

COMO, Italy – (16th of July, 2006) – It’s always great to live on lake that you race on. For Como native Guido Cappellini who knows every meter of the lake took advantage of this situation as he won for the fourth straight time in his back yard to take his 53rd career win and move ahead of the championship table at the 10th Annual Grand Prix of Italy in front of tens of thousands of his adoring fans.

The 9-time World Champion who leads the Tamoil Team led from start to finish of the 50 lap event and now has 40 points in the championship as the series heads off to the Grand Prix of China after it’s summer recess in October. Chasing him now in the hunt for the title is Emirates Team driver Thani Al Qamzi who tied his best ever performance with a 2nd place and now has 31 points in the championship hunt.

The native of Abu Dhabi came within a few boat lengths of Cappellini in the final few laps finally finishing 2.4 seconds behind and proving he is ready to move towards his first win in his career.

The battle for third was a three boat affair for most of the race with American Jay Price of the Qatar Team looking like he would pick up his first ever podium in only his 4th career start until on the final lap he ran out of petrol and coasted home in a very disappointing 6th position.

Leading Jay for much of the race was Finnish driver Sami Selio who ended up dropping out on the 40th lap with engine problems looking for a 2nd straight podium in Como.

Italian veteran driver Massimo Roggiero slid into 3rd and hit the podium for the first time in Como after 3 straight DNF’s in the second Qatar Team boat. He was in a furious three boat battle with his teammate Price and Selio and came away with 12 valuable championship points.

David Trask of Australia and the XPV Racing Team took a well earned 4th after starting 9th just 9.75 second behind the winner Cappellini. Portuguese driver Duarte Benavente came a long way up the grid after starting 19th to finish 5th.

Belgium driver Julius Leysen came home a nice 7th place after starting 14th and taking 4 championship points, while German driver Fabian Kalsow was 8th after starting a lowly 18th and Italian Fabrizio Bocca who started 23rd was 9th in his Rainbow Racing boat. Italian Fabio Comparato came home with the final point in 10th position.

A wild first lap took out two talented rookies with Ivan Brigada of the Tamoil crashed out of 6th on the run down into the first pin as did Jonas Andersson of Sweden who blew over also in the spray of three boats getting together ending his day after starting 7th.

American Scott Gillman of the Emirates Team was heading to the podium and holding onto the lead in the world championship when his engine gave up on the 33rd lap and his dreams of a world championship slipping as he sits in 3rd in the title chase with 30 points.

For additional information, interviews or video footage please contact:

Philippe Stiernon
Press Officer
Philippe@f1boat.com