Old ski racing photos

[Sir Paul]

Thanks Paul for the valuable suggestions, I will write to Freyrie to find out more.
Yes you are right. They are rare and precious, but above all because they bring with them beautiful memories ...

Leonardo Freyrie is available on the web, including Facebook. I have communicated with him once or twice and sent a few old photos.

https://www.facebook.com/people/Leonardo-Freyrie/100015313834472

Leonardo Freyrie

https://www.freyrie.com/

 

[brumbrum]

Thanks Paul!
I wrote to Leo Freyrie. Now I hope he answers me.

 

[brumbrum]

It does look like Garlate/Lecco. I have raced on both Lago di Lecco and Lago di Como back in the 1970s.

The Belgian skier looks like Danny Bertels although it could be his brother Rudi. They looked quite alike back then and hard now to tell the difference. Anyway it is one of them. Danny went on to become world champion.

Unfortunately my father no longer remembers, but I was able to trace the date: 8 August 1976 - 5th round of the European Speed Water Ski Championship, Garlate (Lecco), a race organized by the Pratogrande Water Ski Club.

 

[brumbrum]

* In Azzano we had a small apartment for the summer season (we were based at the Timossi shipyard) and we lived right next to the Cassa family. Carlo, Bruno's son, is my age.
And I can always boast of having "beaten" him. I'm joking of course. It was a club competition organized in Lezzeno. We were nine crews in all and above all we were children. The very first "race" for Carlo and me (in my case also the last... ahahahah). While the others had speed skis, I ran with my single slalom ski (the only one that suited me) and Carlo with two skis. A real disaster. I finished eight, crashing twice. But still ahead of the one who would later become an acclaimed champion of Europe... I wonder if Carlo remembers it...

I found the flyer of the time! August 29, 1976.
There is also the advertising of the Mostes boats at the time:

Do you need to buy a boat to practice speed water skiing at a competitive level? Don't rush, but first observe the results obtained by the A.MOSTES hulls in the 1975 season...
Furthermore, the A.MOSTES shipyards supply boats with petrol and diesel engines to the best schools and clubs.
Now you can make your choice with complete peace of mind.

What wonderful boats they were...
A true Italian pride.

 

[Sir Paul]

I found the flyer of the time! August 29, 1976.
There is also the advertising of the Mostes boats at the time:

Do you need to buy a boat to practice speed water skiing at a competitive level? Don't rush, but first observe the results obtained by the A.MOSTES hulls in the 1975 season...
Furthermore, the A.MOSTES shipyards supply boats with petrol and diesel engines to the best schools and clubs.
Now you can make your choice with complete peace of mind.

What wonderful boats they were...
A true Italian pride.

Yes they were!!??

 

[Sir Paul]

Unfortunately my father no longer remembers, but I was able to trace the date: 8 August 1976 - 5th round of the European Speed Water Ski Championship, Garlate (Lecco), a race organized by the Pratogrande Water Ski Club.

I don’t have the poster for that one but I do have this…..

 

[Sir Paul]

Unfortunately my father no longer remembers, but I was able to trace the date: 8 August 1976 - 5th round of the European Speed Water Ski Championship, Garlate (Lecco), a race organized by the Pratogrande Water Ski Club.[/QUOT

I think I was there with the big inboard Fletcher that year. In fact that might have been the year I took the pictures of Todeschini and the Bruderer 197 boat in Garlate?

 

[gar163y]

A couple of Mostes boats still running in the UK including this one that originally came from Como with a pair of 2.4 EFI’s now running a single XR2.

 

[Sir Paul]

Nice. If the race number 197 has not been changed that boat probably belonged to Pinuccio Todeschini from Garlate, Lecco, Como as you can see in some of the earlier pictures. There are a few other pictures there of twin outboard Mostes. Thanks.

 

[gar163y]

Some additional information about that Mostes. It was originally number 198, called the ‘Bodyguard’ and was powered by a pair of Merc MOD VP’s. The skier was Maria Calgeri.

 

[Sir Paul]

Some additional information about that Mostes. It was originally number 198, called the ‘Bodyguard’ and was powered by a pair of Merc MOD VP’s. The skier was Maria Calgeri.

Thanks for that. Cant say I recall her or the boat. There were two or three twin outboard powered Mostes on the ski race circuit. One in particular I recall with Stefano Gregorio skiing in the mid 80s.

 

[brumbrum]

I don’t have the poster for that one but I do have this…..

Giro del Lario! What an amazing race! The Giro del Lario (Tour of Lario=Tour of Lake Como) was a classic race, always eagerly awaited by athletes and the public, both in motorboating and in water skiing. The route of the first was Bellagio-Lecco-Bellagio-Como-Bellagio for a total of about 100km, while the second started and finished in Lecco, after having made a real tour of Lake Como: a very tough test for skiers, pilots and boats! Carlo Cassa one year finished the race at an average of almost 140 km/h!...
Simply incredible to believe!

 

[brumbrum]

Thank you Paul, Mr Leo Freyrie very kindly answered me:
(...) The ski is from 1974. The bottom is redan to allow the skier to reduce friction on the water at high speeds. There have been many keels tested and this is one of them. This is an important ski for a collector as it is very special. For each athlete going on the motorboat I studied a suitable ski for him also based on the physical shape of that moment. Countless races won such as the European and World Championships won by Enrico Guggiari (...)

 

[brumbrum]

Some additional information about that Mostes. It was originally number 198, called the ‘Bodyguard’ and was powered by a pair of Merc MOD VP’s. The skier was Maria Calgeri.

First of all thanks for the photos. Let's keep alive the memory of these beautiful boats!
I honestly don't know the boat "Bodyguard", but are you sure about the skier's name? Actually the name Calgeri sounds strange in Italian.
Did you mean Calegari, perhaps? Marina Calegari??...

 

[gar163y]

First of all thanks for the photos. Let's keep alive the memory of these beautiful boats!
I honestly don't know the boat "Bodyguard", but are you sure about the skier's name? Actually the name Calgeri sounds strange in Italian.
Did you mean Calegari, perhaps? Marina Calegari??...

All my information, including spelling comes not from the current owner but from the previous one. I do believe this boat was just purchased for the engines and when it arrived in the UK the hull and trailer were pretty much surplus to requirements.
Personally, I went to Italy to watch the ski racing World Championships in 1989 but only competed in one Giro, something I very much regret as it turned out to be the last one.

 

[Sir Paul]

If we are looking for similar names which might tie in, there was a lady Italian skier at the Workd champs I did in Barcelona in 1985. Miriam Grignani. Boat no 167. Mostes with 2xMercs. Sounds very similar. Driven by Antonio Caimi too.

 

[Sir Paul]

1989 was not the last Giro. At least one more in 1990.

 

[gar163y]

1989 was not the last Giro. At least one more in 1990.

Never said it was!

 

[Sir Paul]

Sorry. Misread what you said.

 

[slippo3]

1980's

Heavy Mob people in picture, Jeff Price Trying to fire up the engines Wayne Humphries, and myself Paul Slippo Sleeman