Motorboat Racing at Lake Toscolano Maderno Honors Segrave’s Legacy
Tomorrow and Sunday, October 14th, in Toscolano Maderno, the international motorboat racing event will take place, focusing on the Coppa dell’Oltranza. All races will count towards the Italian championship. The base (setting up, jury, competitors’ camp) will remain in the parking lot at the entrance of the town, for those arriving from Gardone Riviera. The start will be given in front of the parish church. Tomorrow morning will feature free practice sessions, with timed trials in the afternoon. On Sunday, there will be the final preparations, including a warm-up, just like in auto racing grands prix. The competition will begin at 12:00 PM. In order: Formula 1000 (with drivers Eros Angelini, Werther Morelli, Pasquale Pagano, Gianluca Canetti), 3000 (Gian Franco Campolucci, Mario Angelo Fumagalli, Gianni Manici, Claudio Possamai, etc.), Formula 3 (Tullio Abbate, Leo Bonelli, Paolo Marchiafava, Gianfranco Crespi, and others), Formula 2 (Mattia Turati, Roberto Carezzo, Ivan Brigada, Maurizio Ceschin, Paolo Zantelli, etc.).
The course: a parallelepiped (with seven sides) 1,600 meters long, to be repeated multiple times, featuring numerous turns. At 4:00 PM, the Coppa dell’Oltranza will be contested: first the racers, then the outboard motorboats. Some of the competitors include Stefano Battaglini, Rinaldo Marcandelli, Maurizio Anselmi, Giorgio Siviero, Dino Zantelli, Antonio Cambieri, Vanni Bertoni. The circuit, three kilometers in length, will be oval-shaped. The event was conceived by Gabriele D’Annunzio to honor Sir Henry Segrave, who died in June 1930 on Lake Windermere during a attempt at a world speed record (his steering wheel is preserved at the Vittoriale, in the relics room).
The regulation required surpassing certain speeds. The poet established that the cup, which he offered as a prize, would be awarded “to whoever leaves behind the signs of their lightning-fast fire beyond life itself.” The goal was, in short, beyond human limits… The first race took place in May 1931, in Gardone Riviera, but it was not until 1949 that the trophy was awarded to Achille Castoldi, who reached 101.5 kilometers per hour. Later, the winners included Ezio Selva (125 km/h in ’51 and 138 km/h in ’55), Lino Spagnoli (’60), Flavio Guidotti (’61).
After a lengthy hiatus of 28 years, the race was revived in 1996 in Salò, organized by Remigio Telasio and his wife Anna, president of the new Motonautica Associazione Salò (MAS). Moving to Manerba, the competition then found its new base in Maderno. Guido Cappellini improved the record in ’96, reaching 166.9 km/h. In ’98, he surpassed himself with a bold burst, hitting 176.2 km/h. Unable to reach such speeds anymore, the organizers decided to modify the regulations.
Separate trials will be conducted for inboard and outboard engines, and the Coppa dell’Oltranza will be awarded to the pilot with the best time on two laps of the five-lap circuit, even if not consecutive. To qualify, racers must surpass 100 kilometers. Absent last-minute arrivals, the strongest champions will be missing: Cappellini, five-time world champion; Francesco Cantando, who leads the 2001 standings (at three stages to go); Massimo Roggiero, Fabio Comparato, Fabrizio Bocca.
Many of them must test their engines ahead of their trip to the United Arab Emirates. They race on fiberglass, carbon fiber, and kevlar torpedoes, manufactured by the American company Dac. These catamarans can exceed 220 km/h, powered by Mercury engines of 340 horsepower, capable of reaching 9,800 rpm and accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4 seconds. Environmentalists have consistently opposed the event, which attracts thousands of spectators. They criticize “the use of high-power vessels on a lake agitated (in summer) by a thousand motorboats, performing shocking stunts without speed limits. Authorities should promote the use of lower-impact vessels, instead of perpetuating a consumerist and aggressive image.”
