Evolution rivals set for Portugal showdown

Thursday 25 September 2008

#99 Fountain Worldwide and #60 GFN Gibellato are lining up for this weekend's title showdown in Portugal

The two teams fighting for this year’s Evolution class title have said they’re geared up for their final duel in this weekend’s season-closing Portuguese Grand Prix of the Sea. The defending champion #99 Fountain Worldwide 1st4boats.com team are all set to score a second crown, but still face a late title bid from #60 GFN Gibellato.

#99 Fountain Worldwide started their championship defence strongly with back-to-back double wins in Italy and France, but have suffered a run of mixed results in the second half of the season. #60 GFN Gibellato started the season as a title outsider, being the only full-time team to use a diesel engine.

A crucial win in Tunisia and podium finishes in Italy and Malta have kept the Italian team in the championship chase, and this week’s successful UIM appeal has allowed them to regain the points they lost for a second-place finish in the Marseille Grand Prix of the Sea Sprint race in France.

This has given #60 GFN Gibellato an outside chance at the title. Although they need to win both races this weekend to realistically overhaul the 190-point lead to the #99 Fountain Worldwide crew, team boss and throttleman Marco Pennesi says that his team will be pushing as hard as ever as it bids to score its first championship win.

“Obviously I’m very happy to see that the UIM have accepted our appeal,” Pennesi said. “I am still a bit angry that I still have a ‘yellow card’ for the incident, but it is good that we know we have the points from the appeal before the weekend, because it would have been difficult to race not knowing the answer. The points give me the possibility to dream for the miracle of securing the title.

“#99 Fountain Worldwide are a strong team, but we are also strong. So we have to give it our best and see what happens. In some ways, we have already won our own championship, because we are here fighting for the title today. We are a small team, but we have shown how our passion can help us rise to such a high level. We have shown how passion can make a small team strong, especially against all the new, strong teams to have come into the championship.”

#99 Fountain Worldwide just have to score 60 points over the course of the Portuguese Grand Prix of the Sea weekend to secure their second consecutive crown, but team boss and throttleman Craig Wilson has said he’s keen to wrap up the title in Saturday’s Sprint race if he can.

“Obviously, we just have to get 60 points over the course of the weekend to win the championship, while #60 GFN Gibellato have to win both races to stand any chance of winning the title, but our goal is to wrap the title up on Saturday afternoon if we can and then put on a real show in the final race on Sunday,” he said.