What's new in the titles for the inboard racing classes
A new era began in 1970 for European inboard racing. With the entry into force of the new UIM regulation, all international championships and record attempts for weight and restriction categories were abolished.
In their place, international championships for series and classes by displacement were established. The new world and European championships for the inboard racing classes are as follows:
- R1 1000 cc
- R2 1500 cc
- R3 2000 cc
- R4 2500 cc
- 91" APBA
- R5 5000 cc
- R6 7000 cc
- 7 litres APBA

In Italy, the racing classes that competed in the conquest of the tricolour championship in 1970 were two: the LV 1300 cc which, unlike previous years, no longer competed in international championships, and the R4 2500 cc (which is the former LZ).

For the Lancia Flaminia 2500 cc racing inboards, a single-brand trophy continues to be organised. For the categories where a minimum number of participating competitors is not reached, in particular in the R2 1500 cc racers and in the 91" APBA, the individual winners are awarded FIM plates

Marchisio's last competition
The 1970 powerboat season saw the world championship for large racers (formerly KD) take place on the waters of the Po in Cremona, but now included in the new acronym 7 litre APBA (American Power Boat Association). However, the new formula did not revitalise a class that had reached the end of the line. As has already happened in the past, a world championship was staged that was only real in its title. The battle was narrowly limited to the four drivers who made up the national team. In the running were the Cremonese brothers Gino and Franco Lupi, the former on a Timossi hull, the latter with a Celli, both powered by the powerful 7000 cc BPM engine. The other two competitors were the 1969 world champion of the KD, Gianluigi Crivelli, and the 1969 European KD champion, Ermanno Marchisio; both had 6400 cc Timossi-Maserati V8 hulls. The title, as always, is awarded by the sum of the times of the three tests. The overwhelming power of the Maserati engine, once again, manages to get the better of the BPM. With three first places in the heats, Marchisio's superiority is clear compared to Gino Lupi, Franco Lupi and Crivelli, who finished in that order in the final championship standings. For the great Marchisio this will be the last appearance in the race: after this umpteenth title won he decides to retire from competition.

A few years later, in 1975, following a tragic car accident, our champion will end his existence.

De Angelis' victories
In 1970 our drivers dominated the international scene, winning four world championships and as many European ones, always in the racer classes. For Alfa Romeo Corse, once again involved in supplying engines, this was another year marked by great satisfaction.

As far as racing classes are concerned, the Biscione brand has achieved a rich list of victories: three world championships, three European championships, two Italian championships and one French championship, as well as countless speed, distance and endurance records.

The great champion Giulio De Angelis is the real star of the season, as he wins both the world title of the 91" APBA inboard race, run on the waters of the Tagliamento in Lignano, and the European race on the Po in Boretto.
In the world championship the Roman ace, with his hull A.Molinari-Alfa Romeo Raineri, wins the first two heats, totaling over a minute of advantage over Orfeo Maltinti, to whom he leaves the victory in the third final race, settling for third place which, however, is worth the title. Third in the rankings is the Frenchman Nugue, fourth Dalmas, fifth Casanova, favourite on the eve, but forced to abandon in the second heat due to the breakdown of his powerful Alfa Romeo Autodelta.

In Boretto, De Angelis dominates the entire group of opponents: the Italians Casanova, Orfeo Maltinti, Dalmas and Foresti and the entire French team formed by Nugue, Barone, Casset and Burgraff. In fact, he wins all four heats.

Beyond the indisputable performance of the Roman champion, it must be noted that, in both championships of the 91" APBA, the most dangerous opponent, Leopoldo Casanova, suffers breakdowns of all kinds: for example the fire that broke out in the engine that partially damaged the boat during the European championship. Also the European championship of the 91" APBA sees De Angelis, Maltinti and finally Nugue classified, as regards the first three positions.

The Roman driver was not satisfied: to these great victories he also added the continental title, in the R2 1500 cc class, dominating the Sesto Calende race with his Molivio-Alfa Romeo racer. Also noteworthy was the performance of Orfeo Maltinti who once again came in second; we also remember the great race of Franco Foresti, who came in third. The French team, present in Sesto Calende with four drivers, Casset, Nugue, Rousset and Barone, appeared well prepared from a technical point of view. For them, even before the race, some anomalies were found in the exhaust pipes with a consequent hasty modification.

Among the novelties to be reported, in the motor field, there is the Renault Gordini R8 mounted on Michel Barone's boat which, however, disappoints expectations.

For Giulio De Angelis, the year ends with another important trophy: for the third time in his career, the Italian Chevron Oil awards him the "Sportsman of the Year" prize, an award that had already been given to him in 1965 and 1969.

The other world and European championships
After having come close to the world title in the past, the Parma native Ercole Aliani has finally reached the big day: in Sesto Calende, in fact, he wins the title of the R4 2500 cc class, having the better of Franco Lupi, Ottone and Dondi. With the title holder, Antonio Petrobelli, absent, in this challenge, bad luck touches Libanori: after having jumped to the lead in the first of the three heats, a mechanical problem (broken joint) forces him to give up. Among the withdrawals, we also point out that of Casinghini di Foresti and Joseph Ulrich, the only foreign competitor in the race.

Aliani does the double, also winning the European Championship held in Omegna on Lake Orta. The driver engages in a thrilling duel with Antonio Petrobelli, all played on the edge of tenths of a second. With his Celli-Alfa Romeo Raineri manages to get the upper hand thanks to the fastest test: after the four heats, in fact, the two drivers are tied in the standings with the same score. It's a shame that even in this championship the foreign presence is limited to the Swiss Joseph Ulrich who, moreover, proves to be not very competitive.
In Omegna, Fortunato Libanori returns to the race, who, this year, has launched a reduced program that sees him compete only in the world championship and the European championship, of which he is the holder. For the champion, unfortunately, this is definitely a negative year: during the tests he asks perhaps too much from his vehicle and an irreparable mechanical failure forces him to give up early. At the end of the season, Libanori announces his definitive retirement from racing.

In Bracciano, on the lake of the same name, glory also arrives for the Milanese Orfeo Maltinti who wins the world title for the R2 1500 cc class racers. Present at the competition we have the Italians De Angelis, Casanova, Roda, Foresti and Maltinti, then the Italian-American Rolla and, finally, the French Barone, Nugue, Burgraff and Rousset. This championship turns out to be decidedly hard-fought, with the initial exploit of Casanova who wins the first heat, preceding Rolla, Roda and Maltinti. In the second heat Casanova is in difficulty and Maltinti prevails over De Angelis (the problems of the first heat having been partially resolved) and Casanova. In the last test we witness the victory of De Angelis over Maltinti and Nugue. The final classification rewards the regular race of Orfeo Maltinti. In second place we find Nugue, in third Rolla, in fourth De Angelis and fifth Casanova.

On the other hand, our Carlo Casalini's expedition to the R1 100 cc world championship held in Rochlitz, Germany, on the waters of the Zachopan river, had little luck. Caslini was the only Italian present and was in the water with a Celli-Helvetia hull: he only achieved a modest seventh place in the final standings. The world title went to the German Konrad Von Freyeberg, who also won the European title in a race deserted by our riders.

National competitions and records
At the national level, after a less than exciting season, Leopoldo Casanova deservedly won the LV 1300 cc racer tricolor and the FIM plate in the R2 1500 cc class, in which competition a very small number of competitors took part. In the Italian championship of the R4 2500 cc class we witnessed Antonio Petrobelli's revenge on Aliani: the Paduan rider managed, in fact, to collect seven first places out of the eight races scheduled on the calendar.

In the Flaminia trophy, reserved for Lancia 2500 cc racing inboards, Gianpero Maurelli prevails over the other standard-bearer of MAM of Milan: the ever tenacious Aldo Martinetto.

We cannot end the review of the 1970 season without mentioning the excellent performance obtained in the Raid Pavia-Venezia by Roberto Brunelli. After the victory of Carlo Rasini in the 1969 season, with a three-point Angelo Molinari hull powered by a powerful Mercury outboard, Brunelli, on his inboard racing boat of the R°° class (Timossi hull, BPM Vulcano 8-cylinder V-engine of 8200 cc with four double-body carburetors for a power of 450 HP), brings a racer back to success by securing the overall victory in the thirtieth edition. Brunelli achieved, over the 390 km of the race, an average speed of 145.854 km/h, taking a time of 2h40'22" to complete the route. The driver from Zibello (PR) also won the Coppa d'oro Theo Rossi di Montelera, thanks to an average speed of 165.604 km/h recorded on the timed stretch Isola Serafini-Revere; Vincenzo Balsamo also won the trophy for the highest average speed.

1970 will go down in the archives as one of the most significant years for world speed records achieved by some of our most representative drivers. I cite, for example, Franco Foresti who, in Sabaudia, aboard his three-point Timossi, powered by a superb 250 HP BMW 6-cylinder in-line engine, excellently prepared by Romeo Ferraris (a famous engine preparer in the automotive field), established the new world speed record for the R4 2500 cc class with 211.02 km/h. On the same base measured, Leopoldo Casanova, in the 91" APBA class, with his Molivio-Alfa Romeo hull, stopped the clock at the exceptional speed of 203.46.

During the year, a sad fate befalls two of our racers. On the waters of the Venetian lagoon, Giuseppe Perziano is the victim of a fatal accident while testing his inboard racing boat. The same fate befalls Gianmarco Cighetti, in Sabaudia, during a record attempt for the racers of the R2 1500 cc class