Cagliari, Sardinia, May 30, 2004…. Crowds lined the shores today at the Mediterranean Grand Prix, certain that a fellow Italian would win the title – and it certainly looked that way for most of this race with Cantando far out in the lead.
By lap fifteen the line up remained the same with Cantando in 1st and Pharaon battling to close the gap between them. World Champion Cappellini was also driving aggressively determined to overtake in spite of the rough conditions and high winds.
Cappellini’s goal was soon realised on lap 20 when team mate Marcello Menegatto who while being lapped by Pharaon on the outside, provided the opportunity for Cappellini to come up on the inside and quickly move quickly into 2nd place.
Victory was however short lived and by the next lap, electrical problems caused Cappellini’s boat to stop completely forcing him out of the race – a bitter disappointment to both his team and fans.
With the yellow flag hoisted the gap closed between the drivers providing a welcome chance for other teams to catch up. And as soon as the green flag was waved, Scott seized the opportunity, overtaking Pharaon and moving into 2nd place.
Disappointment soon struck Team Green – a damaged propeller caused the boat to seriously vibrate, which in turn sheered off the bolts holding the gear box onto the engine.
With Laith out of the picture, Sami Selio now moved into 3rd position behind Cantando and Gillman. Tamoil team at this point were pinning their hopes on their young driver Menegatto who was in a strong 5th place behind Benavente.
Meanwhile the Trask Brothers, David and Bob from the Seaquest teams were enjoying the race – battling to overtake each other on lap 29 with lap times of 1:15.79 and 1:13.87 consecutively.
Disaster struck again on lap 32 with engine problems for Massimillian Moreschi from Singha F1 Racing, forcing yet another yellow flag which was effectively the start of his team mate Cantando’s downfall.
Driving slowly behind the safety jet ski until lap 37, Gillman began increasing the pressure, and although at the green flag Cantando managed to retain his lead, engine blow out for Menegatto caused another yellow flag and even more frustrations for the current world championship leader.
Lap 42 saw racing resume and with just 3 laps remaining Scott drove his hardest, overtaking Cantando on the first corner and into first place. Major problems then set in for Cantando on lap 43 - a leaking fuel pump caused his boat to stop snatching away any hopes of an Italian victory – a hugely disappointing end for the Singha F1 team.
With just 2 laps to go, Scott was easily out in front and cruised past the chequered flag securing his 3rd consecutive race win at the UIM F1 Powerboat Championships 2004.
“That was a difficult race – and although I enjoy racing against Cantando I was delighted to have the chance to overtake him at the final moment!” enthused Scott Gillman.
Finishing 2nd, a delighted Sami Selio commented “I was very lucky this race, my plan was really just to race to finish however once Cappellini and Cantando were out of the picture I saw my chance!”
Portuguese driver, Duarte Benavente from the Atlantic team also benefited from the late changes in the line up today. “It feels great to be in the top three today and I hope will be the start of my good fortune for the rest of the season,” he said.
With Gillman’s win, the world championship points line up has changed moving him into first place with 60 points, Cantando second with 53 points, Selio in third with 36 points and Cappellini trailing in fourth place with 33 points.
Racing continues at the Grand Prix of Italy on the breathtaking Lake Como, June 19-20, 2004.
