Raid Pavia-Venezia

Established in 1929 through the initiative of engineer Vincenzo Balsamo, the 400 km-long "Raid" is the longest inland-water race in Europe. It was originally organized by the Motorboating Section of the Milan branch of the *Lega Navale* (Italian Naval League)�which later became the *Motonautica Associazione Milano*�and has been managed by the *Associazione Motonautica Pavia* since 1934, which continues to organize it today. The race was held continuously until 1939, when it was interrupted by the war, before resuming in 1952. By that time, average speeds had reached over 80 km/h, with the entire course completed in 5 hours�a feat aided by the introduction of the first *idroscivolanti* (hydro-gliders), hulls propelled by an aerial propeller. This was a significant improvement over the first edition, which took 11 hours to complete at an average speed of approximately 35 km/h. Various types of hulls are permitted, leading to separate class rankings; the overall winner is the crew that completes the entire course in the shortest amount of time. The race begins in Pavia on the Ticino River, reaching the *Ponte della Becca* bridge on the Po River after 9 km. Approximately 100 km later, the route reaches Isola Serafini, where race times are reset and pilots must navigate through a lock. About 65 km further on, at Boretto Po, the boats refuel and times are reset once again. From that point, there are no further stops until the finish line, covering a total distance of approximately 400 km. Today, the winner typically completes the course in less than 2 hours, maintaining an average speed of over 200 km/h. During the Raid, the Montelera Gold Cup�established at the very first edition of the Pavia-Venice race�is awarded to the crew that achieves the highest speed over one of the timed sections, regardless of their final overall result.

The race was not held between 1940 and 1951 due to the Second World War.
The 2003, 2007, 2010 and 2022 editions were cancelled due to low water levels in the Po River.
No editions were organized between 2012 and 2020 due to organizational issues.

https://www.raidpaviavenezia.it

https://www.passioneraid.it