Vespas both old and new complete 1000km run in Italy

On May 24 this year, Mantua, fondly called ‘Italy's sleeping beauty city,’ was awakened by the buzzing rasps from the exhaust pipes of 2-stroke and 4-stroke engines as over 300 Vespas assembled for the 11th edition of ‘1000 Km Vespistica’. It was a visual spectacle as almost every model from the stables of the legendary scooter manufacturer was present at the venue including many examples of the iconic ‘fender headlight’ model, which were produced between 1946 and 1950. Other prominent models which made their presence felt were the GS from 1955, the Primavera and ET3 from the 1970s, the Rally 180 and 200cm3 grand tourers, and numerous timeless Vespa PX models. 

The Vespistica was first started in 1951 and is a 1000km race similar to the legendary ‘Mille Miglia’ race held for cars but, unlike the four-wheeled version, the route of the event changes every year. The 48 hours time-bound event was started with the intention to demonstrate the reliability and capability of the scooters as the riders made their way across different towns in Italy encountering varying terrains and weather. Nine editions of the event were held until 1970 by when the event was a major attraction for Italian two-wheeler aficionados attracting thousands who lined the roads to cheer the ‘Vespisti’. 

After vanishing from the scene for many years, the event was revived by the members of the Vespa Club Mantova in 2011 where over 200 Vespa loyalists had participated and from then on the event has gone from strength to strength. This year’s event started at Piazza Sordello in Mantua with a mid-race stop at Pontedera where the Piaggio factory is situated after which the contestants headed north across Cisa Pass and back to Mantua to complete the 1000km journey. 

Only 192 of the total 306 participants managed to complete the race and taking top honours was Vespa Club Mantova's Elvezio Biserni, who took the “Audax 1000” trophy home by scoring the least number of penalties at the time checkpoints along the route. For many of the contestants the ‘1000 Km Vespistica’ is not a race but an occasion where like-minded Vespa enthusiasts get together and enjoy riding their prized possession across the scenic country side roads of Italy.