[cycleworld.com] - 45-Year-Old Vespa Sets Guinness World Record

[Ninjette Newsbot]

Valerio Boni piloted his 1979 Vespa 50 Special to a Guinness World Record, covering 766 miles in 24 hours.

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Valerio Bono set a new Guinness World Record on his 1979 Vespa 50 Special. (Courtesy of Valerio Bono/)After all these years, Vespa still has some surprises. In this case, the Vespa is a 1979 Vespa 50 Special that just set the new world record for the farthest distance traveled in 24 hours by a 50cc scooter. Certified by the Guinness World Records organization, the record distance now is 1,233.07 kilometers or 766.19 miles, about 305 kilometers more than the previous record set by Australian Mark Brown in 2005. To make the event worth a few more lines is that not only is the scooter a 45-year-old Vespa 50cc, but that the same Vespa in 1979 accomplished a similar feat, though not officially acknowledged, running a distance of 941 kilometers on the Pirelli test track.

It would have been a record at that time, but the event was part of a special Vespa celebration that gave life to a promotional, single-issue publication named Tuttovespa.

A second factor that makes the new record unique is that aboard that Vespa 50 Special was the same rider from 45 years ago. His name is Valerio Boni, tester and media man who was 20 years old in 1979 and now is 65, but still with the same passion for outstanding endurance feats aboard various kinds of two-wheeled vehicles.

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Bono on the banking of Terramar. (Courtesy of Valerio Bono/)His old Vespa 50 Special was fully restored in 2015, and even the old stickers were refreshed. For his new attempt to rewrite the 50cc scooter record of distance run in 24 hours, Valerio also had to watch the cost of the enterprise, so to cut the price of renting a track, he resorted to an old, abandoned oval in south of Spain, near Barcelona. The 2-kilometer-long Terramar track was built in 1923 and features very high banking that the little Vespa 50 Special could not exploit.


Bono with a 24-hour stare on his way to covering 766.19 miles. (Courtesy of Valerio Bono/)Valerio was assisted by Denys Maiorino, owner of Epoca Motors, and his team of mechanics. The restored Vespa 50 Special was carefully checked and prepared for the exploit and then taken to Spain. The old track is in less than immaculate condition, but its concrete surface held together enough to allow a Vespa 50 to go full blast with no safety problems.


In-flight refueling in the middle of the night. (Courtesy of Valerio Bono/)Valerio rode for 24 hours, constantly, with a short stop just to wash the dust off his eyes. Refueling was “in flight” with the competent assistance of Valerio’s Spanish friends, Ivo Viscasillas and Cristian Nogueras, both specialists in scooter endurance events. To keep the little Vespa 50 Special running all the time, the two would ride parallel with Valerio, hand him the hose that would transfer fuel from the “tanker” to the tank of the Vespa, while both were traveling at about 60 kph—which was the top speed the Vespa was capable of.


Bono (center) with the team that helped him achieve the new record. (Courtesy of Valerio Bono/)The grueling marathon went on impeccably for the scheduled 24 hours, courtesy of the super-reliable two-stroke air-cooled little engine from 45 years ago—and thanks also to the ability of Valerio to sit on his iron butt with no interruption. Congratulations to 65-year-old Valerio Boni who, surprisingly, inscribed Piaggio Vespa on the Book of Guinness for the first time in the 78-year life of the most iconic scooter ever.