Canio Di Milia, the Mayor of Stresa, confirmed that plans for the Italian Grand Prix to be held on 4 October were well underway, and stressed that the event was of significant importance to the region. “I am delighted that powerboat racing is coming home to Italy and to where it was born, Lake Maggiore, which hosted the first powerboat race in 1903.
“This is not only an event for Stresa but for all of Lake Maggiore. It is the return of the ‘Queen’ of all powerboat racing to Italy,” he said. “The City of Stresa in the past years has received lots of proposal in order to host powerboat events but we always refused because they never offered us the strategic international exposure we looked for.
“Class 1 is a wonderful international event which represents for us an important promotional vehicle, especially for the tourism of our town and our lake. It is an exciting challenge for us in order to give our best and to obtain the maximum from the event. It will be a great occasion, a great sporting event, that will bring the maximum media exposure for us internationally and across Italy, and we look forward to hosting this event for the next three years.”
Joining the Mayor at the Press Conference were Event Promoter and former Class 1 pilot, Fulvio Ballabio, Giorgioffshore throttleman, Nicola Giorgi, IOTA General Secretary, Marco Sala and Antonio Longo Dorni, President of Tourism for the Lake District. “This event is really important for our district. We appreciate a lot the attention demonstrated by the local and international organisers in respect of the environmental aspect and impact. For us this was a central element,” said Antonio Longo Dorni. “We are also very interested in hosting all the participants which came from many different countries which represent a great interest and potential tourist market for us. Lake Maggiore is the first tourist destination in the Piedmont Region and almost 70% of the 3.4 million tourists who visit the lake come from abroad and we need to consolidate this important segment of tourism.”
The Italian Grand Prix, round four of the Class 1 World Championship and round three of the Class 1 European Championship, marks the return of the world’s leading powerboat series to Italian waters for the first time since 2002. “Stresa and Lake Maggiore is a wonderful setting and has all the ingredients for a fantastic event,” said IOTA General Secretary, Marco Sala. “It is important for the championship to be back racing in Italy and to strengthen its position in Europe and we are confident that the event will be a tremendous success.”