Cantando & Gillman Take Top 3 Spots!
ISTANBUL, TURKEY (13th August) - Facing a two race ban, $10,000 fine, plus payments for replacing timing equipment he distroyed which reach another large sum, 5-time World Champion Guido Cappellini held off fellow Italian Francesco Cantando and American Scott Gillman to take his 5th win of the season and reach 100 points in this years U.I.M. F1 World Championship for powerboating.
Thousands of race fans lined both the European and Asian side of the Bosphorus just north of Istanbul to see pilots for 8 different countries race off from the green light. A three way battle between Cappellini, Gillman and Cantando ended quickly when Argentinian driver Carlos Maidana in his Texaco Havoline OMC powered machine crashed at the turning pin just after the start and forced a re-start. Maidana, who was taken to hospital was in good condition.
Meanwhile, on the re-start, Cappellini in his Laserline/Castrol DAC/Mercury held off a charging Cantando in his Singha Beer DAC/Mercury boat until clear after two laps and kept him at bay for the remainder of the 39 laps around the 2.5 kilometer 6-pin course.Cappellini's win was 3.2 seconds over the young Italian who now has 77 points and still has a great shot for the title with one-third of the season remaining.
For last years race winner Scott Gillman in his Adnoc Lubes/National Bank of Abu Dhabi DAC/Mercury his race was a long one, knowing he couldn't push for the lead in his "short boat" and settled for the points and now just 1 behind Cappellini's teammate Francesco Cantando in the Laserline/Castrol DAC/Mercury with 87 points who placed 4th in the race, one lap behind the top 3 who were in race all their own on the course.
5th on the day went to Massimo Roggiero in his Petrobras DAC/Mercury as he battled his way to the top of the order after starting 9th while holding off Philippe Dessertenne in his Fuchs/Eurobet Burgess/OMC who had a balancing problem as the race went into the last 15 laps and eventually finished 8th. His teammate, Jonathan Jones, was running 7th and trying to make ground when his electrical switch gave up on the 12th lap and ended his day prematurely for another time this season.
Italian veteran Franco Leidi in the Waircom/T-Net/CSM DAC/Mercury had a steady afternoon qualifying with his best start ever at 6th and rounding out the day in the same spot. Fabrizio Bocca in the Rainbow Racing DAC/Mercury was 7th in a steady run, while Cipriano Lambri in the Lambri Arredamenti DAC/Mercury ran 9th and Duarte Benevente in the Singha Beer Burgess/Mercury came home in a dissapointing 10th not happy with the boats handling.
Saudi Arabian pilot Laith Pharaon in his Hyatt Hotels-Resorts DAC/Mercury was charging to the front, 6th from 13th after the 1st lap, before his inside pickle fork broke and he finally elected to drop out after 9 laps ending what looked to be a eye popping run. Awad Al Qubaisi of Abu Dhabi didn't get his engine started and sat on the beach for the whole race dissapointed that his Adnoc Lubes/National Bank of Abu Dhabi DAC/Mercury machine was forced to sit on the sidelines hoping to impress after yesterday's crash saw him miss the 2nd qualifying session and starting 13th.
The 9th Round of the U.I.M. F1 World Championship moves to Como, Italy in 3 weeks for the first of two back to back races wrapping up the 2000 European season.
Can Cappellini get his appeal aproved. Can he survive the World Championship battle if he doesn't? Only time will tell. Stay toned.
