3 WORLD CHAMPIONS IN THE HUNT FOR #1 IN 1998!
WORLD TITLE UP FOR GRABS WITH 3 RACES REMAINING!

LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND (August 18 th )- What's going on? Who has the advantage? It's not an easy answer as the crap shoot for the World Championship of the U.I.M. F1 Boat Racing Series continues this weekend as the Grand Prix of Russia heats up on the Moscow River.

The loss of the Grand Prix of China because of torrential rains and flooding, has now caused a bit of a panic in the paddock for the frontrunning teams because there are now just 3 races to go in the 1998 campaign. The roll of the dice now is in the hands of 3 past World Champions, all within 5 points of the top of the table and the stuggle to be the top driver of the F1 Boat racing world.

Leading in the points chase is 3-time World Champion Jonathan Jones of Cardigan, Wales driving the Dragon Racing /Seebold hull to 4 runner-up finishes and 5 top 3's in 7 starts and now has 72 points. Jones is a model of consistancy this season, still looking for his first win of the year, but a totally different driver than the one in '97 who had crashed out of 3 races coming into Russia a year ago. Jones, who last won the World Title in 1991, is searching for some breathing room with a win, his 14 th of the 1990's would do just that.

Just 3 points back, is 4-time World Champion Guido Cappellini, in the DAC Racing /DAC hull with 69 points on 3 wins along with a leading 4 pole positions. Cappellini, who started the season showing he was the fastest and the one driver who had done the most homework in the off-season, was looking to pull away as a World Champion after winning for the 3 rd time after the season's 5 th race in Corfu, Greece. But Cappellini has had an inconsistant if not head-turning season, having crashed twice, along with a DNF and slow starts off the dock to begin races. He hopes this weekend, his magic will return and he will win in Moscow as he did a year ago and move back into first place in the title chase for the 3 rd time this season.

The man on the go, who maybe the most dangerous of all to stop is the defending World Champion, Scott Gillman of Basalt, Colorado. This 3-time USA Champion, has had to play catch-up all season beginning with a late commitment to defend his crown. Since that time, Gillman has shed his 4 year old Seebold boat in favor of a brand new Cappellini built DAC hull and has proved to be deadly to stop ever since. In Greece, his first start with the new hull, Gillman had the race won only to crash on the next to last lap. In Stresa, Italy he had the pole but not the engine and dropped out early.

Two weeks ago, he dominated in Hungary, actually lapping all but Jones at one point in the race and now sit with 67 points just 5 back from a tie for the lead in the World Title. Gillman, hasn't been superman by any means however, he also like Cappellini, has two crashes this season and has only 2 wins in the first 7 starts after having 4 in the first 7 a year ago. So, it comes down to this: Can Jones continue to finish in the top 3 or win his first of the year? Can Cappellini regain his winning magic and move back in front looking for his 20 th win of the decade? Or will Gillman continue to dominate in the final half of the year, something he didn't do a year ago. The 2 nd trip to the capital of the Russian Federation will determine a lot after this Sunday's race, but the betting hand for the World Championship will not be over, because Vienna on the 6 th of September is less than 3 weeks away!

Let the wheel keep on spinning! This is the crazy world of U.I.M. F1 World Championship powerboat racing!