Once again this year the Vespa Trophy was held among the most fearless Vespisti, those who made it to Belfast in the saddle of their beloved Vespas, the competition among Vespa Club members, who witnessed, with photos and special stamps in their Travel Book, all the stages on their journey to Northern Ireland.
The trophy saw clubs from all over Europe competing for the coveted award: along the road to Belfast there were 19 groups of Vespa riders looking for dealers to get their travel book, the travel card, stamped.
Italy dominated the final standings: victory went to the fierce Vespa Club Verona team who, accompanied by their friends from Vespa Club San Giovanni Ilarione, routed the competition amidst sightseeing excursions and moments of absolute hilarity. In addition to the trophy, they were also awarded a maintenance voucher. They were followed in second place by the boys from Vespa Club Morciano di Romagna and in third place by the Belgian team from Oostende.
A real triumph, that of the two Italian Vespa clubs, both present in Belfast with four Vespa riders each. To reach their destination, the Veronese crossed the Monginevro and then took a ‘stroll’ through France to Normandy, from where they embarked for Dublin and from there, still on two wheels, to the capital of Ulster. The Romagnoli, on the other hand, left on 7 June for Belfast, via Aosta, Troyes, Calais, Dover and London to Liverpool, where the embarkation took place. A total of 5,300 km for their very personal ‘Guinness Vespa Trophy’, so named after the famous and excellent Irish beer, to which they obviously paid tribute whenever possible. Not to be forgotten, once the ‘Vespa Trophy’ was over, our champions had to make their way back home to be celebrated by their respective clubs, friends and family.
Partner of the Vespa Trophy was Michelin, which has been developing and producing tyres specifically for the small Pontedera scooter for years. For the most part, the Official Piaggio Dealer Network limited itself to being a check point for the competitors, a sign that correct and competent maintenance makes the small Vespa cope with even very long distances with serenity. The crews involved have crossed the Bees, travelled all over Europe as far as Belfast without a single mechanical problem, all the Vespas that left for the trophy have come and gone.
Other prizes went to the presidents of the Vespa Clubs of Cyprus and Oostende, while, for the first time for women, the award for the Lone Vespa Driver went to Jennifer of the Vespa Club Prague, who alone travelled over 6000 km.
130 partecipans
19 teams
7 nations (BE, IT, CH, CZ, ES, D, Cyprus)