Bulletin XIAMEN

SUNDAY November 2

JONES CAPTURES GRAND PRIX OF CHINA!
GILLMAN'S 2ND GIVES HIM WORLD TITLE!!

XIAMEN, China (3rd November) - Jonathan Jones completed a dominating performance by powering his way to his 2nd win of the season by capturing the Gold Leaf Grand Prix of China in front of 100,000 fans at the 8th round of the U.I.M. Formula 1 Powerboat World Championship.

Jones, who set the fastest time in qualifying and started on the pole with a 180.53kph lap, struggled at the start and lost the lead to the 4-time World Champion Guido Cappellini. The native of Como, Italy who had won the previous two race events in China, held the lead for the first few laps until passed by Finlandís Pertti Leppala. The native of Helsinki, 2nd in the World Championship points race, needed a win and held the lead for two-thirdís of the event.

However, the native of Cardigan, Wales and lead driver of the John Player Gold Leaf Race Team, passed Leppala on the outside of the front straightaway with less than 20 laps to go of the 70 lap event and held off a late charge to the front by United States driver Scott Gillman to win by 7.35 secondís taking his 29th lifetime World Championship event.

For the native of Basalt, Colorado 2nd was enough for the 3-time United States Champion to capture the World Championship in his first year on the U.I.M. Formula 1 World Championship tour. Gillman, who has 4 wins on the season, now has 122 points with Leppala holding 2nd with 99 points and Cappelliniís 97 with one remaining event of the 9 race series scheduled next month in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The 70 lap race took itís toll on driverís and equipment with only 13 of the 23 drivers finishing on the 1 kilometer course. Behind Jones and Gillman, Cappellini was 3rd and Pertti Leppala finished 4th. Swedenís Goran Karlof was 5th, while Argentinaís Carlos Maidana charged from 20th of 6th. Englandís Andrew Elliott was 7th, Japanís Yutaka Sugihara was 8th, Italyís Massimo Roggiero was 9th and Philippe Dessertenne of France finished off the top 10 finishers.