17:20 BST, May 31 — That’s all from us today
Thank you for following our live coverage of the 73rd Raid Pavia-Venezia. Tomas Čermák (511, DAC/Mercury) wins from first place on the provisional classification. The prize-giving takes place tonight at the Arsenale di Venezia, where the official results will be confirmed. We will have a full report tomorrow.
Update: 15:49 BST, May 31
The top three is unchanged — Čermák, Pellegatti, Romagnoli. Simone Cesati (92, Albatro/Mercury, Cesati Racing ASD) has moved into fifth with a total of 1:55:20. The classification now stands at 56 boats. Robert Lockyer (25, GB) and Gordon McMath (717, GB) are both officially retired. Robert McCarthy (90, GB) is 44th. Full updated results below.
Update: 14:45 BST, May 31
Tomas Čermák (511) remains first. Paolo Romagnoli (77, Lucini/Alfa Romeo, Ass. Mot. Pavia) has moved into third place overall with a total of 1:52:51 — a vintage inboard engine in the top three of the world’s longest inland powerboat race. Jan Korteland (115) drops to fourth. The classification now stands at 52 boats. Jason Briggs (73, GB) is officially marked retired. Benjamin Holehouse (195, GB) holds 30th. Robert McCarthy (90, GB) is 40th.
Update: 14:00 BST, May 31
Tomas Čermák (511, DAC/Mercury) is classified first with a complete set of times: T3 14:56, T4 1:12:03, Coppa Montelera 19:13, total 1:26:59 at 181.41 km/h. Every split is the fastest of the race. Elia Pellegatti (83) second at +23:48. Jan Korteland (115) third. 44 boats classified. Benjamin Holehouse (195, GB) 23rd. Robert McCarthy (90, GB) 32nd.
Update: 13:26 BST, May 31
Tomas Čermák (511) has a Coppa Montelera time of 19:13 — 55km at 171.6 km/h, faster than every classified finisher on that section. Elia Pellegatti (83) has a T4 of 1:31:05, the fastest T4 of any boat in the field, with a Coppa of 23:57. Neither classified at that point. The 32-boat classification unchanged.
Update: 12:43 BST, May 31
Jan Korteland (115) leads with 1:55:08 at 137.06 km/h, +1:04 on Andreotti (307). Gallet (173) third. Sala (15) fourth. 32 boats classified. McCarthy (90, GB) 24th.
Update: 12:30 BST, May 31
Tomas Čermák (511) has posted the fastest T3 of the entire race: 14:56 at 192.9 km/h over 48km. The reason for his earlier timing silence is now clear – he was held in the Isola Serafini lock for 1 hour 44 minutes before the timed section began. Once released, the DAC F2 did exactly what it was built to do. He is now into T4, having left Torricella at 13:10 CET, and was 56th overall at that point – rising fast. His Coppa Montelera split is the one to watch. To put 192.9 km/h in context: Guido Cappellini averaged 207.26 km/h across the full 414km course when he set the outright race record in the 72nd Raid in 2025 – in an F1H2O-specification DAC. Čermák is in a Formula 2 DAC. Sala leads overall with 15/76 classified.
Update: 11:57 BST, May 31
Antonello Sala (15, Focchi/Mercury) leads the 73rd Raid Pavia-Venezia with a time of 2:03:23 at 127.89 km/h. His co-driver is Laura Manfredini. The race is not yet finished – 15 of 76 boats have been officially classified and faster times are still possible. Umberto Nordio (34) is second at +6:24. Robert McCarthy (90, GB) is 10th.
Update: 10:47 BST, May 31
Tomas Čermák (511) confirmed on the SportTraxx GPS tracker near Isola Pescaroli, well into T4 and closing on race organiser Giampaolo Montavoci (6, Offshore Classe 3) who started 45 minutes ahead of him. Robert Lockyer (25, RYA/GB) and American co-driver Christian McCauley are also racing, having entered the lock at 10:11 BST. Charlie Williams reports the last wave of boats at the Torricella fuel stop.
Update: 10:32 BST, May 31
Davide Borrini (124, Focchi/Mercury) records the fastest T4 of the day at 2:03:40. The Coppa Montelera lead changes: Tulliomaria Abbate (5, Tullio Abbate/Mercury) posts 27:31, the fastest Revere-Pontelagoscuro time so far, ahead of Andrea Gelmetti (38) at 27:42. Tomas Čermák entered the Isola Serafini lock at 10:00 BST, 13 seconds after his scheduled start.
Update: 10:15 BST, May 31
Mohamed Amin Zawali (64, Focchi/Suzuki) is the first boat through Revere, leading the course all morning. Robert McCarthy (90, OCRDA, GB) and co-driver Mark Power post the fastest Coppa Montelera time at that point: 29:49, equivalent to 110 km/h average over the 55km Revere-Pontelagoscuro section. Jason Briggs (73, Phantom 19 G) is through the timed sections with a T3 of 27:21.
What Is the Raid Pavia-Venezia?
The Raid Pavia-Venezia is the world’s longest inland powerboat race, run on the Po river. It is 97 years old. The 73rd edition covers 361 timed kilometres from San Nazzaro d’Ongina to the finish at Brondolo near Chioggia, with the prize-giving at the Arsenale di Venezia.
It is a staggered-start race: each class departs at a different time, slowest first and fastest last. The winner is the boat with the lowest total elapsed time across the three timed sections – not the first to cross the finish line. A slower boat that left at dawn can lead the classification, only to be overtaken by a faster boat that started hours later.
The Three Timed Sections
T3: Isola Serafini to Torricella di Sissa – 48km. T4: Torricella to Voltagrimana – 215km. Within T4, the Coppa Montelera is a special prize for the fastest average speed on the 55km Revere-Pontelagoscuro stretch. The finish is at Brondolo after a 20km non-timed transfer from Voltagrimana.
The 2026 Course Change
This year’s race started from San Nazzaro d’Ongina in the Piacenza province rather than from Pavia. The Ticino was 91 per cent below its historical April snowmelt average, making the traditional first sector unnavigable. San Nazzaro sits immediately upstream of the Isola Serafini lock, so the effective timed racing distance is unchanged.
The Isola Serafini Lock
Every boat in the race passes through the Isola Serafini lock before the timed section begins. The lock can only process a limited number of boats at once, so the fleet went through in groups – a first batch of 17 and a second of 22.
The Race
Tomas Čermák (511, DAC/Mercury, fed. Slovacca) leads with a total of 1:26:59 at 181.41 km/h — the fastest T3, T4 and Coppa Montelera of the race. Elia Pellegatti (83, Tullio Abbate/Mercury) and co-driver Daniele Bonfatti are second at +23:48. Paolo Romagnoli (77, Lucini/Alfa Romeo, Ass. Mot. Pavia) is third at +25:52 — a vintage inboard engine in the top three. Jan Korteland (115, Bernico/Mercury, Powerboa Holland) with Paul Korteland is fourth at +28:09.
The Coppa Montelera
Named after Count Theo Rossi di Montelera, of the Martini & Rossi family, this prize goes to the fastest average speed over the 55km Revere-Pontelagoscuro section. Čermák leads with 19:13, ahead of Pellegatti (23:57) and Korteland (24:50).
The British Contingent
Benjamin Holehouse (195, Phantom/Mercury, BPRC) and Charles Holehouse are classified 31st with a total of 2:42:30. Robert McCarthy (90, Bernico/Yamaha, OCRDA) and co-driver Mark Power are 44th with 3:09:32. Jason Briggs (73, Phantom/Mercury, BRPA) and Alex Goode, Gordon McMath (717, Revenger/Mercury, OCRDA) and Philip Morris, and Robert Lockyer (25, Skater/Mercury, RYA) and Christian McCauley are all officially retired.
Tomas Čermák: The Formula 2 Wildcard
The most-watched boat of the day is number 511, a DAC F2 circuit racing hull entered by Slovak two-time F2 Endurance World Champion Tomas Čermák – the only circuit Formula 2 boat in the 73rd Raid. His test runs at San Nazzaro on Tuesday produced speeds above 200 km/h.
Čermák leads the classification with every fastest split of the race: T3 14:56 at 192.9 km/h, T4 1:12:03, Coppa Montelera 19:13, total 1:26:59 at 181.41 km/h. To put that in context: Guido Cappellini averaged 207.26 km/h across the full 414km course when he set the outright race record in the 72nd Raid in 2025, in an F1H2O-specification DAC. Čermák is in a Formula 2 DAC, on a 263km course.
Provisional Classification: 56 Boats
Provisional. Official results to be confirmed at the prize-giving at the Arsenale di Venezia tonight.
| Pos. | No. | Driver / Co-driver | Hull/Engine | T3 | T4 | Coppa | Total | Gap | Avg km/h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 511 | Tomas Čermák | DAC/Mercury | 14:56 | 1:12:03 | 19:13 | 1:26:59 | – | 181.41 |
| 2 | 83 | Elia Pellegatti / Daniele Bonfatti | Tullio Abbate/Mercury | 19:42 | 1:31:05 | 23:57 | 1:50:47 | +23:48 | 142.44 |
| 3 | 77 | Paolo Romagnoli | Lucini/Alfa Romeo | 19:13 | 1:33:38 | 25:38 | 1:52:51 | +25:52 | 139.83 |
| 4 | 115 | Jan Korteland / Paul Korteland | Bernico/Mercury | 20:02 | 1:35:06 | 24:50 | 1:55:08 | +28:09 | 137.06 |
| 5 | 92 | Simone Cesati / Giampaolo Valsecchi / Leonardo Boscarino | Albatro/Mercury | 19:19 | 1:36:01 | 24:26 | 1:55:20 | +28:21 | 136.82 |
| 6 | 307 | Alessandro Andreotti / Claudio Davì | Mostes/Mercury | 20:54 | 1:35:18 | 25:11 | 1:56:12 | +29:13 | 135.80 |
| 7 | 173 | Matteo Gallet / Francesco Cecchetto | Tullio Abbate/Mercury | 20:52 | 1:35:34 | 25:22 | 1:56:26 | +29:27 | 135.53 |
| 8 | 15 | Antonello Sala / Laura Manfredini | Focchi/Mercury | 21:40 | 1:41:43 | 28:01 | 2:03:23 | +36:24 | 127.89 |
| 9 | 39 | Roberto Salvi | Focchi/Honda | 22:10 | 1:42:40 | 26:59 | 2:04:50 | +37:51 | 126.41 |
| 10 | 94 | Tim Van Bruyssel / Kenneth De Coster | Albatro/Mercury | 22:59 | 1:42:26 | 26:51 | 2:05:25 | +38:26 | 125.82 |
| 11 | 21 | Francesco Busetto / Davide Conti | Tullio Abbate/Mercury | 22:16 | 1:44:00 | 27:27 | 2:06:16 | +39:17 | 124.97 |
| 12 | 34 | Umberto Nordio / Damiano Boscolo | Scanner/Mercury | 23:15 | 1:46:32 | 29:39 | 2:09:47 | +42:48 | 121.59 |
| 13 | 117 | Antonio Cambieri / Achille Cambieri | Nitra Boats/Mercury | 24:07 | 1:45:45 | 27:43 | 2:09:52 | +42:53 | 121.51 |
| 14 | 118 | Federico Faggi / Giacomo Panzeri | Abbate/Suzuki | 23:34 | 1:51:41 | 29:35 | 2:15:15 | +48:16 | 116.67 |
| 15 | 35 | Mattia Volpi / Matteo Antonelli | Ring/Mercury | 24:03 | 1:51:32 | 28:43 | 2:15:35 | +48:36 | 116.39 |
| 16 | 79 | Mattia Turati / Roberto Benucci | Ananciana Boutique/Mercury | 22:33 | 1:53:37 | 25:41 | 2:16:10 | +49:11 | 115.89 |
| 17 | 999 | Marco Rasia Dal Polo / Emanuele Messina | Angelo Molinari/Evinrude | 26:25 | 1:55:13 | 32:40 | 2:21:38 | +54:39 | 111.41 |
| 18 | 18 | Ivan Zanocchi / Cristian Maffini | Mostes/Mercury | 23:16 | 2:01:32 | 33:24 | 2:24:48 | +57:49 | 108.98 |
| 19 | 86 | Juri Tiozzo / Davide Baldini | Mostes/Mercury | 26:27 | 1:59:29 | 31:23 | 2:25:56 | +58:57 | 108.13 |
| 20 | 68 | Mattia Assanelli / Massimo Assanelli | Mostes/Mercruiser | 21:37 | 2:04:51 | 32:32 | 2:26:28 | +59:29 | 107.74 |
| 21 | 38 | Andrea Gelmetti / Guglielmo Martinelli | Mostes/Mercury | 21:50 | 2:06:45 | 27:42 | 2:28:35 | +1:01:36 | 106.20 |
| 22 | 124 | Davide Borrini / Aldo Winkler | Focchi/Mercury | 28:24 | 2:03:40 | 32:37 | 2:32:04 | +1:05:05 | 103.77 |
| 23 | 197 | Piero Gregorio / Andrea Vitali / Alberto Todeschini / Mike Avila | Mostes/Mercury | 25:03 | 2:08:15 | 36:12 | 2:33:18 | +1:06:19 | 102.94 |
| 24 | 46 | Alessandro Pavanelli / Filippo Luppi | Zaniboni/Mercury | 27:38 | 2:06:35 | 33:09 | 2:34:13 | +1:07:14 | 102.32 |
| 25 | 238 | Gabriele Guffanti / Carlo Vaccani | Focchi/Honda | 27:24 | 2:07:53 | 33:20 | 2:35:17 | +1:08:18 | 101.62 |
| 26 | 53 | Pier Paolo Onidi / Fatima Ait Ladham | Bombardier/Rotax | 23:19 | 2:14:21 | 27:40 | 2:37:40 | +1:10:41 | 100.08 |
| 27 | 666 | Wolfram Kittl / Ernst Zischin / Ernst Ortlieb | Cyclone/Mercury | 27:08 | 2:12:02 | 39:41 | 2:39:10 | +1:12:11 | 99.14 |
| 28 | 64 | Mohamed Amin Zawali | Focchi/Suzuki | 22:00 | 2:17:15 | 34:48 | 2:39:15 | +1:12:16 | 99.09 |
| 29 | 76 | Guglielmo Dilda / Andrea Nebbia | Siewinder/Mercury | 28:01 | 2:11:22 | 33:51 | 2:39:23 | +1:12:24 | 99.01 |
| 30 | 70 | Pierluigi Nordio | Mostes/Parsun | 29:03 | 2:13:15 | 34:54 | 2:42:18 | +1:15:19 | 97.23 |
| 31 | 195 | Benjamin Holehouse / Charles Holehouse (GB) | Phantom/Mercury | 24:18 | 2:18:12 | 30:42 | 2:42:30 | +1:15:31 | 97.11 |
| 32 | 97 | Luciano Pesenti / Bernhard Pesenti | Albatro/Mercury | 31:30 | 2:12:21 | 34:24 | 2:43:51 | +1:16:52 | 96.31 |
| 33 | 120 | Achille Mazzucotelli / Mara Mazzucotelli | Linetti/Mercruiser | 28:00 | 2:17:42 | 36:38 | 2:45:42 | +1:18:43 | 95.23 |
| 34 | 17 | Matteo Bodini / Timothi Faccin | Chaudron/Mercury | 24:28 | 2:22:20 | 31:45 | 2:46:48 | +1:19:49 | 94.60 |
| 35 | 7 | Luca Tovaglieri / Claudio Andrea Tovaglieri | Carrera/Mercury | 31:52 | 2:17:22 | 35:06 | 2:49:14 | +1:22:15 | 93.24 |
| 36 | 36 | Filippo Giorgio Colnaghi / Leopoldo Michele Assi | Tullio Abbate/Mercury | 40:13 | 2:09:17 | 33:59 | 2:49:30 | +1:22:31 | 93.10 |
| 37 | 27 | Mattia Dall’Oglio / Lucio Gilioli | Zaniboni/Mercury | 31:16 | 2:24:16 | 37:58 | 2:55:32 | +1:28:33 | 89.90 |
| 38 | 121 | Amedeo Lepre / Gregory Biancuzzi | Zaniboni/Mercury | 30:26 | 2:27:46 | 37:15 | 2:58:12 | +1:31:13 | 88.55 |
| 39 | 88 | Danilo Dall’Asta / Christian Speciale | Molinari/Alfa Romeo | 30:49 | 2:27:53 | 38:58 | 2:58:42 | +1:31:43 | 88.30 |
| 40 | 22 | Giuseppe Corazza | Albatro/Mercury | 24:48 | 2:41:53 | 29:52 | 3:06:41 | +1:39:42 | 84.53 |
| 41 | 66 | Silvano Coatto / Claudio Spairani | Estilo/Selva | 32:14 | 2:35:08 | 43:34 | 3:07:22 | +1:40:23 | 84.22 |
| 42 | 13 | Daniela Covati / Laura Varesi / Giulia Nordio | Nuovajolly Marine/Honda | 34:28 | 2:33:24 | 43:05 | 3:07:52 | +1:40:53 | 84.00 |
| 43 | 231 | Paolo Martinelli / Irene Sederini | Tullio Abbate/Suzuki | 32:53 | 2:35:58 | 39:45 | 3:08:51 | +1:41:52 | 83.56 |
| 44 | 90 | Robert McCarthy / Mark Power (GB) | Bernico/Yamaha | 24:25 | 2:45:07 | 29:49 | 3:09:32 | +1:42:33 | 83.26 |
| 45 | 125 | Giulio Bizzozero / Giampaolo Bizzozzero | Tullio Abbate/Mercury | 27:20 | 2:43:21 | 39:05 | 3:10:41 | +1:43:42 | 82.76 |
| 46 | F6 | Tommaso Soncin | Focchi/Honda | 33:45 | 2:37:23 | 41:08 | 3:11:08 | +1:44:09 | 82.56 |
| 47 | 65 | Bernard Nash / Denis Scarpi / Christof Wondracek | Cantiere San Pietro/Mercury | 24:28 | 2:47:06 | 43:58 | 3:11:34 | +1:44:35 | 82.37 |
| 48 | F8 | Tommaso Pia | Focchi/Honda | 33:37 | 2:38:04 | 41:16 | 3:11:41 | +1:44:42 | 82.32 |
| 49 | 151 | Luca Capisani | Seadoo/Rotax | 28:21 | 2:43:57 | 53:59 | 3:12:18 | +1:45:19 | 82.06 |
| 50 | 123 | Luca Caretto / Leonardo Marchiori | Tullio Abbate/Mercury | 27:01 | 2:50:02 | 33:32 | 3:17:03 | +1:50:04 | 80.08 |
| 51 | 444 | Pietro Scarpa / Alex Berni | Fletcher Arrowbeau/Mercury | 42:08 | 2:36:38 | 38:08 | 3:18:46 | +1:51:47 | 79.39 |
| 52 | 5 | Tulliomaria Abbate / Marco Massazza | Tullio Abbate/Mercury | 21:36 | 3:04:37 | 27:31 | 3:26:13 | +1:59:14 | 76.52 |
| 53 | F7 | Andrea Carosso | Focchi/Honda | 38:04 | 2:51:01 | 44:37 | 3:29:05 | +2:02:06 | 75.47 |
| 54 | 126 | Simone Calza / Erik Sparesato | Ghibli/Mariner | 38:03 | 3:03:10 | 48:16 | 3:41:13 | +2:14:14 | 71.33 |
| 55 | 72 | Cristian Caponnetto / Cinzia Vergani | Diamond Back/GM | 39:33 | 3:10:00 | 49:40 | 3:49:33 | +2:22:34 | 68.74 |
| 56 | 12 | Alberto Scuro / Pietro Silva | Abbate/Suzuki | 32:10 | 3:23:24 | 36:09 | 3:55:34 | +2:28:35 | 66.99 |
Full Raid Pavia-Venezia Coverage
All our reporting from the 73rd edition – entry list, previews and results.
Raid Pavia-Venezia on PBN
John Moore is the editor of Powerboat News, an independent investigative journalism platform recognised by Google News and documented on Grokipedia for comprehensive powerboat racing coverage.
His involvement in powerboat racing began in 1981 when he competed in his first offshore powerboat race. After a career as a Financial Futures broker in the City of London, specialising in UK interest rate markets, he became actively involved in event organisation and powerboat racing journalism.
He served as Event Director for the Cowes–Torquay–Cowes races between 2010 and 2013. In 2016, he launched Powerboat Racing World, a digital platform providing global powerboat racing news and insights. The following year, he co-founded UKOPRA, helping to rejuvenate offshore racing in the United Kingdom. He sold Powerboat Racing World in late 2021 and remained actively involved with UKOPRA until 2025.
In September 2025, he established Powerboat News, returning to independent journalism with a focus on neutral and comprehensive coverage of the sport.
