Race Will Be Seen Live On Web Streaming !
ISTANBUL, TURKEY (12th August) - World Champion Guido Cappellini of Como, Italy took his 4th pole position of 2000, while at the same time stopping American Scott Gillman's 3 race pole streak, leading the field for tomorrows for the 2nd Annual Grand Prix of Turkey, the 8th Round of the U.I.M. F1 World Championship for powerboating.
Cappellini, who was not only battling the conditions with heavy winds and rainy weather, also had to hold off last years race winner Scott Gillman of Basalt, Colorado who had come back with a strong lap late in the 2nd qualifying session. Cappellini's quick time of a 1:14.81 lap and 99.65 kph came in the early stages of the 2nd qualifying session while Gillman's luck ran out when his Abu Dhabi Tourism DAC/Mercury 2.5 liter machine was parked with the ever worstening water conditions into the shootout session. The pole is Cappellini's first since back in June at Riga, Latvia.
While young Italian Francesco Cantando in the Singha Beer DAC/Mercury 2.5 liter machine made it once again exciting with a great effort and a 1:16.24 second lap, just getting pipped by Gillman late in the session for 2nd, the newest race winner on the U.I.M. F1 tour will be hoping to do better than his 8th of a year ago.
4-time World Champion Jonathan Jones of Cardigan, Wales got rolling late in his Fuchs/Eurobet Burgess/OMC 3 litre powered machine with a 1:17.11 and will be looking for his 2nd straight podium finish. Italian Fabio Comparato, teammate to pole sitter Cappellini in the Laserline/Castrol DAC/Mercury 2.5 litre boat will start 5th and will be looking to move up and keep pressure on his teammate whom he trails in the World Championship chase by 80 to 78 in points.
The 2nd oldest driver on the tour, Italian Franco Leidi at 50 years old, captured his 1st ever shootout by qualifying 6th in the rough water conditions on the Bosphorus. He, like Comparato and Cantando who tried, failed to improve their time in the shootout session. Along side will be another Italian, 1992 World Champ Fabrizio Bocca in the Rainbow Racing DAC/Mercury 2.5 litre boat, while young Portugese star Duarte Benavente in the Singha Beer Burgess/Mercury 2.5 litre entry will be 9th. Rounding out the top 10 will be French pilot Philippe Dessertenne in the Fuchs/Eurobet DAC/OMC 3 litre machine with a 1:26.45 second lap and a time of 86.24 kph.
Accidents proved to be the norm today with two spectacular rides. Firstly, by Awad Al Qubaisi in the Adnoc Lubes/National Bank of Abu Dhabi DAC/Mercury as he was at the time sitting 6th and hoping for a shootout position, before crashing hard in the turn 6 corner and rolling over. Then in the final session of qualifying, Saudi Arabian driver Laith Pharaon proved why he was an offshore world champion by pushing harder than anyone in the start of the session before launching off a wave and submarining in a spectacular way just as he approached turn one. Laith in the Hyatt Hotels-Resorts DAC/Mercury 2.5 machine and Al Qubaisi are a.o.k. and will be ready for tomorrow's event.
Drivers from 8 different nations are expected to take the green lights on the 8 pin 2.6 kilometer course at 14.30 local time and (7.30 Eastern Daylight Time) in North America.
The race can be seen on European and Asian Broadcast Union as well as worldwide on the live web streaming on the internet by going to www.f1boat.com and following the directions to watch the event.
