Singapore, September 13, 2004.... Organisers for the F1 Powerboat Grand Prix of Singapore are busily preparing for what they believe is one of the most exciting combined on land and on water events on the UIM 2004 calendar.

Commented F1 Powerboat organiser, Nicolo di San Germano, “We are absolutely delighted with the exciting line up of activities this weekend in Singapore as well as the professionalism and support from organisers SG International and our sponsors Aviva, the Singapore Tourism Board and the Singapore Sports Council.  We truly believe Singaporeans will enjoy this event and our worldwide audience will get to see yet another fantastic country on our international circuit.”

Teams have enjoyed a 7 week break since the last race in Shanghai providing them with precious time to test their boats and adjust the set up for more hot and humid race conditions. 

Previous winner in Singapore last year, American Scott Gillman is currently experiencing a very successful racing season having won 7 of his last starts including Shanghai.

“I’m certainly on a roll and loving it!  I’m very much looking forward to racing again in Singapore as last year it marked the start of my winning streak.”

Chasing close behind and eager to secure points to propel them up the Championship are fellow Italians Francesco Cantando and Guido Cappellini.   For Singha F1 Racing driver, Cantando this race is an important marker in which he hopes to catch up on Gillman.

“I am currently 12 points behind.  If I can win this and the next race and push Gillman away from a top three place then I have a strong chance in the Championship – frankly that’s my goal now to the end of the year,” commented Cantando.

“We’ve had some challenges this year with some technical problems,” stated eight times World Champion Cappellini.  “We’ve made some adjustments during this break and are feeling pretty confident.  I’m sure we’ll give the crowd an exciting race!”

Team Green Racing’s press office today announced that lead driver Laith Pharaon is unfortunately not going to participate in either races in Singapore or Malaysia due to injuries sustained during his accident at the Grand Prix of Shanghai.

“My physical condition is almost 100 % recovered , however I still have a small fracture on my lower left rib cage, and I’ve been advised medically to wait until it has healed,” commented Laith.

Fellow driver Massimo Roggerio will be stepping up the pace during these races and holding the fort until Laith returns. With a consistent race season this year fans of Team Green will be watching him closely to see if he can scoop up maximum points.

Racing will get underway this weekend, September 18-19, 2004 at Marina Bay in front of a spectacular city skyline for the 7th race in the 2004 UIM F1 Powerboat Championship. 

A 1.86km 5 pin circuit promises some interesting racing with rough conditions and winds which will undoubtedly test the skills of all 23 drivers.  Spectators are in for a treat!