CAPPELLINI CAPTURES POLE IN SARDINIA!
WORLD CHAMPION JONES 2ND; ROGGIERO 3RD!

Cagliari, Italy, May 15: 4-time World Champion Guido Cappellini of Como, Italy, accomplished in the 2nd round of the 1999 U.I.M. F1 World Championship, what he did in the first, domination of the field and two pole postions in a row. The lead pilot of the DAC Racing team, made it look easy as he set a blistering pace of 57.67 seconds and 156.60 kph around the 2500 meter course, capturing the top spot by 1.98 seconds over defending World Champion Jonathan Jones of Cardigan, Wales who did a 59.65 lap.

Cappellini, took a back seat to the Welshman in the 1998 campaign, when the driver of the Dragon Racing team took the World Championship in the very last race of the season after trailing the native of Como, Italy who now makes his home in Monaco. But Cappellini, determined to be again atop the timing sheets, was the quickest in every session and went into the special six boat "Shootout" session showing the competition that he had done his homework over the winter and set himself up for leading the field at the start of tomorrow’s Grand Prix of the Mediterranean here in Sardinia.

Jones, driving one of only 5 wooden boats still running on the F1 tour, took advantage of his English built Burgess, running strong in the flat water in the late afternoon and will start in the top 3 for the first time this season.

Italian Massimo Roggiero who won his first F1 race a year ago in Stresa, is hoping to make it two straight wins on Italian waters. His time of 59.70 was 5/100's’of a second slower than Jones and he will start 3rd on the dock. Finland’s Pertti Leppala was 6/100’s back with a 59.76 and will start 4th. Leppala had a great chance to win a year ago until he jumped the start and was docked a lap.American driver Scott Gillman of Basalt, Colorado, 2nd in the World Championship had his worst qualifying effort in his 3 years on the tour, as he will start 5th with a time of 1:00.03 as part of the Emirates Team.

Italian rookie Fabio Camparato, teammate to Cappellini will start 6th.Rounding out the top ten will see Fabrizio Bocca of the Rainbow Belco team 7th, Francesco Cantando of the Singha/Waircom team 8th , Swede Goran Karloff 9th with a 1:03.11 and 10th Argentinian pilot Carlos Maidana with a 1:03.28.Defending Champion Guido Cappellini will lead the field of 22 drivers from 11 nations with the race beginning at 14:30 Central European Time, 8:30am Eastern Daylight Time around the 8 pin 2.5 kilo course.