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To reach 76 editions of a sports competition is already something extraordinary. If we are then faced with the historic Centomiglia del Lario of motorboating here is that a cold (according to the weather forecast) and anonymous weekend at the end of November immediately becomes “hot” for a challenge at the water’s edge with guaranteed spectacle.
Stage the first dock in Como for a competition that has always had the prestigious Yacht Club Como with the Mila (the rib of motorboating) and the Circolo Vela in the control room. A competition that has never lost its appeal even in less happy times for the Italian powerboat sport. A sort of end-of-season rematch between the protagonists of this discipline for the offshore and endurance categories.
A challenge dated 1949 when Italy was coming out of World War II with broken bones and the watchword was: reconstruction. So, following on the heels of the equally mythical Pavia-Venice dated 1929, here comes the Lario Italian Motonautica (Mila to be precise).
The idea had flashed to executive Sandro de Col, a rower with a passion for powerboating, immediately finding the okay of his advisors. The first stumbling block, however, was no small one: lack of funds. So when, and this was June ’49, De Col swooped into the headquarters with a check for 1 million (!), thanks to the contribution of motorboat partner Remo Cademartori – who had recently taken over the glorious Taroni shipyard in Carate Urio – the dream became reality.
On Sept. 4, 1949, on the Como-Lecco-Colico-Isola Comacina-Como route, the Centomiglia del Lario took off: thirty-four starters (but they would finish in twenty-six…) and victory by Mario Marzorati with a Taroni hull, powered by Gray Marine 5000 cc. at the then fantastic average of 66.022 km/hr.
That’s the story. Times have changed, hulls and speeds as well; even the course is smaller, but one thing has remained unchanged: the fascination for a race that everyone wants to participate in.
The most famous names in Italian powerboating have passed through here, and the Larian shipbuilding industry has had a performing test bed at home. Just look at the roll of honor and the names of Lucini, Abbate, Molinari, Buzzi and so on stand out.
Back to the present day. The Centomiglia del Lario was originally supposed to be held on October 26. But in those days Como was on its knees from a historic flood and the lake looked more like a dumping ground than anything else. Thus the decision to postpone.
It starts again on Saturday, November 22 with the Italian Touring Cup and Honda Offshore Championship as a starter from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. The highlight on Sunday, November 23 with free practice in the morning (from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.) and from 1:30 p.m. with the 76th edition of the Centomiglia del Lario (Tricolore Offshore 3 D and International Ordinary Endurance Group A): over fifty entries.
This year, the traditional race course (which touches Como, Blevio and Cernobbio) will be modified by the addition of a buoy off Torno. There are two records to beat: first of all, that of overall victories at eleven and held by Tullio Abbate senior who unfortunately passed away and Serafino Barlesi. The latter will be competing on Sunday to score his 12th victory.
The other record is the speed record and is dated 1993. In that edition the victory went to Sandro Gianella, just from the Mila, who, with a hull from Giampiero Lucini’s Larian shipyard, powered by Lamborghini, won with an average of 195.434 km/hr.
This is the purely sporting part. Then there is the corollary starting with the new paddock in the former Galoppatoio di Villa Erba in Cernobbio. For the first time, the Club will open the area to the public free of charge: visitors will have free access (10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday) to take a closer look at the competing boats and team workshops. However, registration through the official website www.centomigliadellario.com is mandatory.
Then there is the commitment of the Yacht Club Como Mila and Cvc to young people. A commitment that comes to fruition with the Lake Como Youth Powerboating Academy, a training project of excellence in collaboration with the Italian Powerboating Federation and the Tullio Abbate Boatyard, aimed at girls and boys aged 11 to 14. The school teaches boating in a conscious and safe way, offering the possibility, for the most gifted, to continue in competitive motor boating. As proof of the quality of the training, the club has also become active with 10-time F1 world champion Guido Cappellini, whose school may be a further step for the most motivated youngsters.
But enough chatter now, it’s time to start the engines with a glance also at the whitewashed mountains surrounding the lake. An unusual fact to juxtapose with a powerboat race, but this too contributes to making the 76th Centomiglia del Lario even more fascinating.
Marco Corti
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