All eyes turn to St Petersburg, Russia, as it prepares to host round two of the 1998 U.I.M. Class 1 World Powerboat Championship.

Founded in 1703 by Peter the Great the haunting magnificence of this imperial capital provides one of the most spectacular backdrops of the championship. The enigmatic homeliness of Peter’s Cottage and the city’s canals contrast vividly with the grandeur of the Winter Palace, home to the world famous Hermitage Museum.

While the race itself is held off the southern shore of the Finnish Gulf in the suburb of Petergof some miles from the centre of St Petersburg, the pre-race Pole Position competition is run in the most dramatic setting of the racing calendar.

At speeds of over 140mph the skills and courage of both driver and throttleman will be tested to the limit as they power their 4.5 tonne machines up the narrow River Neva in the shadow of the historic Winter Palace.

"There is no other city which has a pole position like St Petersburg," said Victory Team Chief Khalfan Harib. "It is a strange feeling to run so quickly under bridges and past the old buildings. You really have to maintain your concentration and stay focused for the entire run."

The mighty Victory Team arrives in St Petersburg full of confidence having taken three out of the top four places in the season opener in Bari and regained the Class 2 World Title in Bangor last week.

For Saeed Al Tayer however St Petersburg is a painful memory and one that he is keen to banish.

"Last year’s race was memorable for the wrong reasons", said 35 year old Al Tayer. "We had the race in the bag with less than 10 minutes remaining when the boat suddenly lost power. Laith (Pharaon) was gracious enough to say afterwards that we deserved to win but that was really no consolation."

Pharaon on the other hand will be keeping his fingers crossed, hoping that ‘luck’ rides with him and new partner Edoardo Polli in Bilboa, and will be looking to repeat last year’s victory - one that heralded a hat-trick of wins that put him on course to the world title.

Edoardo Polli who said at the beginning of the season that his aim is simply to keep the Number One on his boat is looking forward to returning to St Petersburg and confident the gremlins that affected the team in Bari will not repeat.

"The boat does not have a particular problem with the gearbox. We are developing a new package and so we expect a few teething problems. I think in St Petersburg we will realise the potential we demonstrated in Bari. I like St Petersburg, my boat is suitable for any kind of sea conditions and also for the flat course that we will probably have there."

Eleven boats will line-up on Sunday 5^th July for the 127.5 Nm, 11 lap race – the notable absentees being Ken Thorne and Matteo Nicolini in Caesar Marine who have had a wretched time since the disappointment of Bari. The Anglo–Italian pairing’s defence of their Class 2 title in Bangor fell apart after damage to their monohull forced their withdrawal in Heat 2 only to learn that their Class 1 boat would not be repaired in time for St Petersburg.

"Disappointed and very very frustrated," is how the ultra competitive Thorne described his mood. "Realistically we haven’t had enough time in the new boat to get the set-up as we would like but the problems we now face, rebuilding the back-end, have been created by bad luck. But we will be back and ready to compete at the front in Arendal."

With two of this year’s fancied runners, Bilboa and Jolly Motor, both failing to score in Bari and Khalfan Harib without his new boat until Arendal, Norway’s Bjorn Gjelsten and Britain’s Steve Curtis in Spirit of Norway will be looking to capitalise with another maximum points victory and their third win in a row.

Please note that all results and releases from each round including Pole Position and the Race will be posted on the official U.I.M. Class 1 World Powerboat Championship Web Site.