The inboard racing class championships with displacement
The long list of international titles in 1968 saw our pilots excel in all the UIM racing inboard classes. This season the European championship of the LV 1300 cc class racers was held in French waters, in Melun. The supremacy of our pilots was clear and, in the final classification, they occupied the first three positions. The surprising Orfeo Maltinti, with his A.Molinari-Alfa Romeo boat, preceded, in order, Casanova and Guido Caimi. The other Italian, Perziano, overtaken by the French Andrè Salmona and Lucien Nugue, occupied sixth position. By assigning the organization of this continental title to France, the intention of the UIM directors was to be able to have a greater presence of competitors of more nationalities, thus hindering the constant predominance of our pilots. At the start, however, with our national team, only the French lined up.

Let's now move on to the LZ 2500 cc: in the waters of Lake Paola in Sabaudia, Fortunato Libanori, driving his yellow three-point Celli-Alfa Romeo Raineri, becomes European champion.
Libanori initially finds Brunelli and then Colnaghi his toughest opponents, but, despite this, he wins three of the four scheduled races. Worthy of note is the good performance by Colnaghi who obtains a victory and two second places, thus finishing close behind the new champion Libanori. In third place we find Brunelli, followed by Gianfranco Castiglioni, while the Swiss Joseph Ulrich, the only foreigner in the race who withdrew from the first heat, is not even classified.
Also in the LZ class, Fortunato Libanori also wins the world title this season, which took place within the program of the event run on the difficult lagoon waters of Malamocco. On this occasion, the foreign riders were absent and also for this reason, Libanori's victory was never in doubt. In fact, our driver, to his immense class, also adds the excellent Celli-Alfa Romeo Raineri complex that allows him to dominate all three tests. Behind Libanori we find, in the final classification, the always tenacious Antonio Petrobelli and then, in order, Gianfranco Castiglioni, De Angelis and Aurelio Dotti; all, however, considerably detached due to various mechanical problems with the engines.

In 1968 in Lignano, on the circuit created at the mouth of the Tagliamento, the new European championship of racers of the 91" APBA class, with a displacement of 1498 cc, was held. In this case, this championship proved to be decidedly disappointing, despite the presence of a notable crowd. This motorboat event was organized at the end of July, a period in which mass tourism invaded this important seaside resort: the show, however, betrayed the expectation. For the record of this high-sounding continental championship, let's just say that only three Italian pilots participated: Casanova, Maltinti and Auricchio, all competing with boats powered by Alfa Romeo 1500 16 valves 170 HP. This race was divided into four heats, with the final classification based on the three best results obtained by each pilot. The Cremonese Auricchio was making his debut this season among the racers and won in the first heat, taking advantage of the withdrawals of Casanova and Maltinti. In the last three heats Casanova returns to the race and has no trouble, with his hull Molivio, to impose himself on his opponents. Casanova writes his name in the history of this continental championship, preceding Auricchio and Maltinti and thus widening his already notable palmares.

Let's focus now on another class, namely the LX: this category uses racers with a maximum displacement of 1000 cc. The first edition of the world championship of this class is being held this season on the waters of the Elbe River, in Dessau, East Germany. For the first time, Italy, thanks to Carlo Casalini, wins this title. The feat of Casalini, the only Italian competitor participating, deserves a worthy mention, considering the little interest that this small class of inboard racing boats currently attracts in our country. Casalini takes to the water driving a beautiful three-pointer from the Celli shipyard powered by an excellent 100 HP Ford Anglia engine, provided by the great engine wizard, Ernesto Brambilla from Monza, known for his work as a Formula 3 racing car preparer. Our driver, competing against a notable group of participants of various nationalities (Russians, Yugoslavians, Dutch, Swiss, Hungarians and Germans), wins all three heats, wiping out his opponents on a 2000-meter so-called stick circuit, to be repeated twelve times in each race for a total of 72 km. The new champion demonstrates the excellent preparation of his vehicle, which appears decidedly faster than those of the competition. At the end of the racing year, Chevron awards the annual "Sportsman of the Year" prize to the driver Carlo Casalini: this is to be considered a well-deserved recognition for a great man in motorboating.

Casalini, in addition to winning the LX 1000 cc world championship as the first Italian driver, has, on his side, a very long career with racer hulls in which he has obtained numerous speed records in the most varied classes of inboard racing. On the momentum of this recognition, Casalini, the following year, will establish, with the same hull, the new world record for the LX category with a speed reached of over 123 km/h.

Inboard weight race championships
An exciting European KB championship is being held in Bracciano: the 350 kg racers. The number of participants is reduced to just five pilots from the Italian team: De Angelis, Guido Caimi, Perziano, De Crescenzo and Casanova, with their boats all from the Molivio shipyard, powered by Alfa Romeo Giulias. Guido Caimi wins the first heat, being the only one to reach the finish line, since the other competitors were all forced to retire. In the second heat, however, we witness the success of Casanova, rewarded for his impetuosity and his class. The champion from Parma precedes Caimi and De Crescenzo. Unlucky, however, is Giulio De Angelis, forced to retire yet again, on whom a small "yellow" weighs, when, at the end of the day, he is excluded from the final classification for not having kept his boat in the parc fermé: this episode had occurred between the second and third heat. There was no shortage of controversy for De Angelis, given that it seemed to be "his" championship: moreover, its organization had been assigned by the UIM to the Club he belonged to, the Rari Nantes Bracciano. Even for the Venetian Perziano, abandoning the initial heat meant, unfortunately, an obligatory desertion from the following races.
Holding high the colors of Roman motorboating was De Crescenzo, who managed to win the third race during which Casanova withdrew, right on the first lap; Caimi, on the other hand, was unable to start, immobilized by a banal mechanical failure.
In the fourth and decisive heat, Casanova won, with Caimi, having managed to repair his vehicle, skillfully controlling the race: in fact, he only needed to maintain second place to reconfirm himself, also for 1968, as continental champion. De Crescenzo placed third in this heat. The final ranking is as follows: first Guido Caimi, second Leopoldo Casanova, third Antonio De Crescenzo.

In Sesto Calende, again at the 350 kg world championship, the following drivers participate: Guido and Franco Caimi, Perziano, Cantù, De Angelis, Caramelli and Casanova, together with the Italian-American Phil Rolla.
In the first heat we find the affirmation of the reigning champion Guido Caimi, with his Molivio-Alfa Romeo Giulia developed by Raineri: second place goes to the feisty Giuseppe Perziano. These two drivers are the only ones to finish the twelve laps of the first test. Unlucky, however, are Casanova, De Angelis and Rolla, all three retired due to broken engines and definitively out of the game for this championship.
The second test repeats the same order of arrival as regards the first two positions, with the addition of father Franco Caimi in third place. Maurizio Caramelli also leaves the competition, who, for the occasion, debuts a new three-pointer which, however, is not without reliability problems. In the last heat Perziano takes the lead on his Telaroli-Alfa Romeo Raineri hull, maintaining it until the end and repelling the initial attacks carried out by Guido Caimi who closes in second position. At the end of the three heats, held under incessant rain, Giuseppe Perziano, having achieved a total time lower than that of Guido Caimi, and having completed all the tests, can, rightfully, boast the KB 350 kg world title.

From 350 we now move on to 500 kg where, in the European championship held on Garda in Gardone Riviera, Giuseppe Colnaghi stands out. He is no longer a revelation among the many young and promising racers: for a year now, in fact, he has been making a name for himself in the eyes of sportsmen for his temperament and his notable skills in driving these boats. With three first places in the four heats disputed, Conaghi who always finds in Maggi the most insidious opponent, wins the championship, with his interesting and innovative forward-drive boat from the Eugenio Molinari shipyard with Alfa Romeo engine; in the final classification he precedes Maggi himself, Invernizzi, the Swiss Ultrrich (the only foreigner present) and Casinghini.

Still on the waters of Garda we move to the Peschiera circuit where, with the organization of MAM (Motonautica Associazione Milano), the world championship of KC 500 kg racers takes place. On this occasion there are thirteen boats present for the world challenge: twelve driven by the Italians Antonio and Carlo Petrobelli, De Angelis, Brunelli, Neri, Giuseppe and Aurelio Dotti, Colombo, Giancarlo Castiglioni, Ottone, Maggi and Colnaghi. The thirteenth participant is the Swiss Friederich Wyss. It is worth noting that practically all the competitors field the same inboard racing boats of the LZ class with the relative 2500 cc engines. The world title, surprisingly, is won by Carlo Petrobelli (Antonio's cousin) who, completing all three tests on his Celli-Alfa Romeo Raineri, totals a better time than his opponents: in particular he stands out from the reigning champion, Maggi. Carlo Petrobelli confirms his value, already shown in previous seasons. In the place of honor in the final ranking we find Maggi who, after the title won the year before in a somewhat fortunate way, on this occasion is certainly not helped by luck. After having won the first heat, in fact, he is penalized by an early start at the start of the second heat. Following, in third position, we find Antonio Petrobelli, also a bit on the credit of luck, then, in succession, Ottone, Brunelli, the Swiss Wyss, De Angelis and Neri.

Let's now turn to the premier class of inboard racing: the 900 kg racers. The program of the Italian Grand Prix organized, as always, by MAM, at the Idroscalo in Milan, includes the continental championship of the KD 900 kg, a competition previously scheduled in Bolsena, but then suspended due to adverse weather conditions. At the start we find the Italians Ermanno Marchisio, Flavio and Giorgio Guidotti and Gianluigi Crivelli, all on boats from the Timossi shipyard with Maserati engines. Also participating are the Swiss Joseph and Pierre Ulrich, the first with the forward-drive Molivio-BPM boat that had belonged to Faroppa, while the second uses an Abbate-BPM. It immediately seems obvious, after the first of the four heats, that Marchisio has great potential: he prevails over Flavio Guidotti, Crivelli and Joseph Ulrich. Unfortunately, after a few laps, Giorgio Guidotti is forced to withdraw due to an irreparable breakdown; the same thing happens to Pierre Ulrich whose racer lacks competitiveness. The second heat ends with the same order of arrival; in the third, however, Marchisio gets the better of Crivelli, while Flavio Guidotti is forced to retire. Thus Marchisio mathematically conquers the continental title with one race to spare. Crivelli wins the last heat with Marchisio finishing in second place. For the latter, this is the first European title won in the KD 900 kg, which adds to the six world titles previously won. The final ranking of this championship sees Crivelli, Flavio Guidotti and Joseph Ulrich placed behind Marchisio.

The LV 1300 cc and KD 900 kg World Championships
It is now necessary to dwell on the news of the world championships for racers in the LV 1300 cc and KD 900 kg classes, since a tragic fate befalls both competitions.

On Lake Orta, in Omega, the LV 1300 cc world championship is taking place. Italy lines up ten pilots: Riola, Giuseppe Perziano, Orfeo Maltinti, Ajelli, Nosè, Guido Caimi, Franco Caimi, De Angelis, Casanova and finally Marchisio who, occasionally, abandons the KD to try his hand at this category that is not suited to him. The French pilots are absent and consequently the foreign participation is limited to the Swiss Friederich Wyss and Müller and the Italian-American Rolla.
There are practically all the ingredients to witness a combative championship with excellent pilots: this is all to the advantage of the show. In the first of the three heats, victory goes to the Genoese Stefano Riola with his Molivio-Alfa Romeo Raineri hull; behind him finish Perziano, G. Caimi, De Angelis, Maltinti and Marchisio. In the second heat the irreparable happens: we are in the tenth lap and, while the race is coming to an end, still with Riola in the lead, ahead of Guido Caimi and Maltinti, a violent collision occurs between the Swiss Wyss and our Marchisio, despite the latter having tried to avoid the hull of the Swiss. After the accident, Marchisio does everything he can to help the rescuers; unfortunately, however, every attempt to revive the unfortunate Friederich Wyss is in vain. Among the hypotheses on the death of the pilot, it is suspected that Wyss suffered a heart attack at the time of the accident, a circumstance that, later, seems to have been confirmed by the autopsy performed on the body after his return home. The third heat is not held as a sign of mourning, but, after a few days, the UIM still awards the world title to Riola.

The Italian champion is the turn of the KD 900 kg racing cars, engaged, precisely, in the world championship.
In the running we find the "famous trio" Guidotti, with dad Liborio and his Timossi equipped with the brand new BPM 8 cylinders with 4 double-body carburetors, for a power of over 500 HP and his sons Giorgio and Flavio, always with the Timossi-Maserati 6400 cc. Also participating is another Timossi-Maserati, that of Marchisio, and the Celli-Maserati of Paolo Petrobelli. For the occasion Gianclarlo Castiglioni also enters with his promiscuous racer from the Celli shipyard properly ballasted and equipped, however, with an Alfa Romeo Raineri of only 2500 cc. Completing the line-up are the usual Swiss Joseph and Pierre Ulrich with their colorful BPM-powered boats.
Marchisio and Flavio Guidotti, often exchanging positions at the head of the first heat, immediately give the clear impression of having no rivals and in the end Marchisio wins, albeit by a small margin. In third place is a treacherous Liborio Guidotti who keeps Paolo Petrobelli in his slipstream.
In the second heat, during the second lap, while Marchisio and Flavio Guidotti fight undisturbed for first place, in the rear Paolo Petrobelli's boat suddenly takes off from the bow, violently throwing the pilot into the water. The Swiss Joseph Ulrich, who is closely chasing the Italian, immediately stops to help the pilot, while all the other competitors in the race, perceiving the gravity of the incident, decide to retire. As a result, the heat does not register a winner. In the third and final test, the twist: both Marchisio and Flavio Guidotti exit the race due to mechanical failures, to the advantage of Crivelli who wins the heat ahead of Liborio Guidotti and Ulrich. With this second place, Liborio Guidotti can rejoice for the victory of the world title: in second place, in the final ranking, we find Joseph Ulrich and in third Marchisio.

In the meantime, after a few days of hospitalization in Lugano and a prompt surgical intervention with removal of the spleen following further complications, there is nothing more to be done for Paolo Petrobelli. So this season that, rightfully, can be defined as exceptional for our racers, is tainted by these two tragedies that definitely take away credibility from motorboat competitions, both with regard to the safety of the circuits and that of the racing boats.

Perhaps, the time has come to do something concrete to try to guarantee pilots a minimum level of safety in this sport which, as we have seen, is certainly not free from risks.

National Championships
As regards the results of the various national championships, we recall, first of all, the victory of Guido Caimi in the LV 1300 cc racer. We also mention the success of Antonio De Crescenzo in the 91" APBA class, this, in its first year of national title, but which will certainly need, in the future, a verification, considering the very small field of participants.

In the LZ 2500 cc class, Fortunato Libanori, after the international titles, also wins the tricolor, while, in the KD 900 kg, Ermanno Marchisio confirms himself as Italian champion.

The 1968 season also saw the great victory achieved by Guido Caimi at the Raid Pavia-Venezia with his Livio Molinari-Alfa Romeo hull, entered in the KB 350 kg class. Caimi covered the 416 km of the race in 2h51'17" at an average speed of 136.615 km/h, preceding Colnaghi, Pallavicini and Migliavacca, all driving inboard racing hulls.

The year ends with another sad loss, with the premature death of Oscar Scarpa, which occurred on December 11th due to illness. More than for his undoubted skills as a pilot and record holder, Oscar Scarpa is remembered above all as a great builder. In fact, once he closed his small shipyard in Venice (his hometown), he opened, in the early 60s, the San Marco shipyard near the Idroscalo in Milan. Over time, the San Marco has become one of the largest complexes for the construction of racing hulls, for the racer and runabout classes.