Racing season 1937


In Detroit, in the races reserved for inboard races without limitation scheduled on the waters of Lake Michigan, Theo Rossi, at the helm of Alagi , a brand new Baglietto hull with a 6-cylinder 500 HP Isotta Fraschini engine, ranked 2nd overall. Less glory, however, for the other Italian present, Guido Cattaneo, in difficulty due to mechanical problems with his Aradam , then forced to retire.

A few days later our two pilots participate in the President's Cup ( Gold Cup) , the most prestigious and important American competition. The Gold Cup was established in 1904, initially with the name American Power Boat Association Challenge Cup. This challenge is reserved for inboard racing boats with no weight or engine displacement limitations. The rules allow for the participation of pilots from any continent, but with the obligation to be members of American clubs. Both Theo Rossi and Cattaneo, on this occasion, join the Detroit motorboat club. On the waters of the Potomac, not far from Washington, the three tests are held, each over a distance of five laps on a three-mile circuit.
Although Rossi's Alagi is the author, in the test, of the fastest lap, he must once again settle for second place behind the winner, the American Clell Perry on Notre Dame . In third place we find the other Italian, Guido Cattaneo.

In 1937 Rossi, still driving the Alagi, regained the world record for the 1200-kilo racer class with an average speed of 146.532 km/h. In the same year, the Union Internationale Du Yatchins Automobile established the first world championships for the racer class, which began in 1938.
For the 12-litre class (hulls of 732 cubic inches, or 11,997 litres), 4 trials were planned, while for the 400-kilo class, only one trial was carried out. In this category, hulls with any type of engine were admitted as long as the overall weight did not exceed the weight established by regulation of 400 kilos.

On November 27, 1937, on the waters of the Seine at Saint Cloud (Paris), Maurice Vasseur, one of the most important French drivers, gave the Bugatti automobile manufacturer another motorboat speed record by setting a record average of 133.8 km/h with the engine of the Type 50 B.


Inboard racing seasons
Racing season 1938