Tomas Čermák exceeded 200km/h on the Po river during a training session at San Nazzaro on Tuesday. He had never raced the Raid Pavia-Venezia before. He starts on Sunday.
The Slovak driver, a two-time F2 Endurance World Champion and twice winner of the 24 Hours of Rouen, takes the wheel of an RPM team DAC F2 in the CIRCUITO FORMULA 2 class at the 73rd edition. He runs solo, carrying race number 511, on Mercury Optimax power.
The entry came together fast. RPM team principal Alessandro Canzi, whose team announced a second F2 boat for 2026 without naming a driver, approached Čermák with the offer. The hull is a DAC F2, previously raced by Tullio Abbate, who is himself entered this weekend in DIPORTO 4:1.
The Raid has been on Čermák’s list for a long time.
Tomas Čermák:
I always dreamed of starting in this race, but due to the high costs (helicopter escort) I could never afford it.
Tuesday’s session at San Nazzaro gave him his first read of the course and the machine. The numbers were immediate.
Tomas Čermák:
We easily exceeded the speed of 200km/h. With an Optimax engine.
He has river racing experience, but not the Po specifically, and he is measured about what Sunday holds.
Tomas Čermák:
I am entering this race for the first time in my life and blindly because I do not know the river. Considering the various natural pitfalls, luck and technique, it is too early to talk about the result. Everything will be decided at the finish line.
His endurance record is substantial: two F2 Endurance World Championship titles, the F100 European title, the T850 World Cup, and the 24 Hours of Rouen overall in 2003 with the French LPTT team, then again in 2005. He has also spent three seasons in F1H2O.
On Sunday, 361 kilometres of Po river. His target is Venice.
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.
