Sunset Beach, Saudi Arabia, March 26, 2004.... Twenty three Formula 1 Powerboats lined up against a spectacular beach backdrop today for the start of the UIM F1 Powerboat Championship of Saudi Arabia. Spectators were mesmerised as an array of brightly coloured boats literally leapt into action right in front of their eyes!

The excitement continued as two boats collided on the second lap forcing Moreschi Massimilliano from the Italian Singha team to retire and Pertti Leppala from Team DanIta to place last at the restart.  F1 Powerboat rules govern that should an incident take place in the first three laps then all boats must return to the grid to restart the race.

Breathtakingly fast from the outset, Scott Gillman from the Emirates team led the pack clearing at least a six second advantage in front of his closest rivals.  Chasing hard was, eight times World Champion, Guido Cappellini making waves for Cantando and Selio who struggled to pass.

A damaged buoy forced the yellow flag and boats to slow down after 25 laps allowing the gap to be closed between Gillman and his main threats.  Eleven laps later the boats roared into action as the green flag signalled safe racing conditions.  

Little did Gillman's competitors know but he had sliced part of his propeller on lap 15 causing major vibrations to his boat and challenging driving conditions.  Undeterred, Gillman managed to hang on to the lead, unaware of the battle taking place behind him.

With lighting speed and agility, Cantando realised his moment and finally overcame Cappellini's somewhat frustrating yet skilful tactics, propelling him into second place and now chasing hard for first position.

The gap was closing with just 2 laps to go and a 1.20 second lead, spectators were on the edge of their seats waiting with anxiety to see if Cantando could clinch first place.  Meanwhile, Finnish, Sami Selio had also managed to move past Cappellini into the third position.

With the chequered flag getting closer and closer, Gillman 'put his foot down' and hung on to the lead by a mere 1.01 seconds heralding another fantastic win for this legendary driver - his fifteenth over 8 consecutive years of racing.

"Today was an excellent race, although from lap fifteen I was nervous whether my propeller would hold out - it was therefore incredibly satisfying to win," commented Scott Gillman.

"Today was tough, particularly at the beginning as I had a near miss with Cappellini which knocked my mirror out of position.  Fortunately with the yellow flag I was able to correct this and then pushed as hard as I could chasing Gillman right up to the end," enthused Cantando.

For Sami Selio today marked the fourth podium finish in his career, "It was a hard battle, I was caught between the waves of Cantando and Cappellini and could hardly see a way to get past.  As soon as Cantando made the break I drove aggressively and managed to overtake Cappellini as well which was very exciting." said Selio.

An exciting race for some of the other drivers as well; Ligier team driver Philippe Dessertenne drove well and moved into fifth position closely followed by Italian Fabio Comparato.  Saudi hero Laith Pharoan who started from the grid at 8th position was unable to gain pace and finished the race in tenth place.  Britain's Andy Elliot looked promising from the outset and at one point was a top challenger in 5th position, ending the race finally in seventh place.

"We have all really enjoyed the race here in Saudi Arabia," said a delighted race promoter, Nicolo di San Germano.  "We're extremely grateful to the Saudi organisation and the Vice President HH Prince Faisal Bin Fahd for all his help - the set up and the hospitality has been superb."

Drivers and team take a six week break before heading to Portimao in Portugal, May 14-16, 2004 for the next race in the UIM F1 Powerboat Championship.  See you there!