27 DRIVERS BATTLE FOR 24 POSITIONS AT GP OF PORTUGAL!
KALSOW RETURNS TO TAMOIL TEAM!

PORTIMAO, Portugal – 26th of May, 2006 – One of the largest groups of drivers to attend a U.I.M. F1 World Championship event have arrived in Southern Portugal for the 8th Annual Grand Prix of Portugal for this weekends 2nd stop of the 2006 battle for the world title and power boat racing supremacy.

All the attention has been placed on defending race winner Italian Guido Cappellini who has failed to pick up points so far this season and is hoping for a quick turn around to get back into the championship hunt in his Tamoil sponsored machine.

Cappelllini’s teammates this weekend will be GP of Qatar winner rookie Ivan Brigada, along with popular German driver Fabian Kalsow who returns to the circuit with his Red Bull/ADAC sponsored boat hoping to pick up more championship points in his 2nd racing campaign.

American Scott Gillman of the Emirates Team did everything he could to win a year ago only to lose power on the final lap while leading, but finished second to Cappellini as the Italian passed him in the final two turns of the event. He is determined to turn around his luck this year.

Team Green will have a new driver in Italian Leo Bonelli joining veteran Laith Pharaon who finished 10th in Qatar and has switched back to a DAC hull rather than his once tried BABA machine.

The Rainbow Team also consists of three drivers in Fabrizio Bocca, Valerio Lagiannella and rookie driver Jonas Andersson. The Swede who comes over from F2 as an ex World Champion is hoping to emulate Brigada as he  steps up to the 400 hp F1 machines.

China’s Peng Lin Wu is hoping to qualify a third Charente Maritime boat racing in F1 for the first time in over 5 years and was working on passing the rugged dunk test that was being applied to the rookie class of 2006 by the Osprey Rescue Team in the early Friday afternoon.

Italian veteran Massimo Roggiero was setting in nicely with his new F1 Qatar Team joining his teammate American Jay Price who comes over also from the F2 series.

The bright sunshine is expected to continue all weekend with temperatures climbing to the mid 30’s by Sunday’s 15:00 local start for the 8th Annual Grand Prix of Portugal.

For additional information, interviews or video footage please contact:

Philippe Stiernon
Press Officer
Philippe@f1boat.com