Vespa & Lambretta year in review Events 2023 - Part 1
There has been a lot going on over the past twelve months! The Vespa World Days alone attracted thousands of Vespisti. Plus large and small national and local events, meetings, rallies, anniversaries and much more. We are happy to support the activities of the scene as a sponsor and are on hand with advice, assistance, merchandise and goodies when our help is requested. At this point, many thanks to our Mascha, who is in contact with all clubs and organisers who contact us - whether Vespa, Lambretta, Gear Pulley or electric bike. But if you want to have your events mentioned here, please send us reports and photos in good time! Then it will also work with the review.
We were also practically constantly on the road last year and attended many events: 30 years of Stoffis Garage, Glemseck, Vespa Corso Munich, Vespa Tre Giorni, Vespa Corso Munich May, Kalkar: Scooterist Meltdown, Euro Lambretta Lincoln, Vespa Rallye des 3 Massifs, Vespa World Days, Giro dei Tre Mari, Pfingstrun Stockach, ESC Harzring, Race 61 and DBM Minusschrauber Bremen. Not forgetting our own very successful events: SIP Scootershop Open Day, Matscho Karatscho #2, lots of aperitivos, a summer party and and and ..
Big events in 2024
The coming year casts its shadow ahead, because there are two very special events coming up again: On 18 May 2024 is not only the SIP Scootershop Open Daybut we are also celebrating our 30th company anniversary. Get ready for all kinds of special events. Two months later, things will get dirty again: Matscho Karatscho #3 offers all friends of cultivated motocross the chance to prove themselves. One thing's for sure: we're looking forward to the coming season!
March 2023
Vespepe Ciudad de Antequera, Spain
The sixth edition of the "Vespepe Ciudad de Antequera", a classic rally for Vespas, took place over two days in Antequera for the first time. This innovation allowed for an extensive night route on Friday 17 March. On Saturday there was a traditional breakfast, another ride and lunch, complemented by a raffle. The event was presented by Deputy Mayors Juan Rosas and Ana Cebrián, Covespa Club President Marcos Jiménez and Secretary Jesús Cantos and attracted around two hundred scooters. The route went through the main streets and the Archaeological Ensemble of the Dolmens, an initiative launched in 2016 to support the World Heritage candidacy: "Thanks to SIP Scootershop and other collaborators, the participants left the event very satisfied with a large Bag full of gifts".
April 2023
Auto Moto Retro Exhibition, Vespa Club de Mans, France
Stéphane wrote to us: "Our event in April was great! Many people visited us at our stand and were very happy to receive a small gift from SIP! At the end of April, we did a small rally with a few members of our club, but it was also very pleasant and we also did a goodie distribution."
Hedonism Scooter Rally, Bakersfield, California, USA
Ronny expressed his thanks: "Thanks to SIP Scootershop for sponsoring our rally. Hedonism is a rally that takes place in the city of Bakersfield, California. It is organised by the Unforgiven Scooter Club. Bakersfield is not known for much, it is a large city in central California surrounded by mountains and fields. It's extremely hot here in the summer (over 108 degrees Fahrenheit) and cold in the winter. The Hedonism Rally offers riders a chance to escape the city and stop-and-go traffic and ride through the mountains where they can experience amazing twisties. We have always done our best to ensure that this rally offers a bit of everything for every participant. This year the rally started on Friday evening with a free concert for the rally participants. There were about 150 people in attendance and it was a great show. The bands all played their hearts out and everyone had a great time. Saturday morning started with a meet and greet and a 70 mile drive through the mountains to the campground. This year the route had to be changed slightly due to the severe flooding in California. One of the main routes we normally take was destroyed and closed to all traffic.
The ride took us along the Kern River with some amazing curves and breathtaking scenery. The scooter riders were greeted with music, homemade lasagne and plenty of other food and drink. The campsite is on the edge of a lake and has a large covered area and a fire pit. There are some people who have travelled with caravans or motorhomes.
Next year we will return even stronger than before, with more people, more activities and more fun. Hedonism is a rally designed by scooter riders for scooter riders."
Vuelta International, Vespa Day, Puerto Rico, USA
Frank shares: "It was great! The two events were really wonderful, on the first international Vespa ride in Puerto Rico we had about 35 Vespas on this 5-day trip around the island, with many visitors from the nearby island of Santo Domingo and even two visitors from Colombia and Ecuador. On Vespa day we had a very large gathering of about 200 Vespas and the weather was mostly nice until the end of Vespa day, but since we had already arrived at the meeting point, everyone was safe and almost no one got wet. Jejee! We are already planning both events for next year so they can be better and bigger. This year we managed to get a Vespa from Justin Bieber, donated by a local Vespa dealer, which will be raffled off at the end of the year. The proceeds will go to the "Susan G Komen Foundation" for breast cancer, and we managed to raise $1000 for Pablo Cabral, a member of the Vespa Club in Santo Domingo who recently had a bone marrow transplant for cancer. Among other things, we learnt that Vespas are a way of life that can bring together all kinds of people from different districts and with different social status. Plans for next year are already on the way for an even bigger event, we thank SIP Scootershop for their co-operation and hope you will be there for us next year too. The next event we are planning is the Vuelta a la Hispaniola, which will take place at the end of September."
May 2023
Raduno De Bosch, Cesena, Italy
Succi in a nutshell: "The day was peaceful and sunny; the gadgets from SIP Scootershop were offered to all participants free of charge in the thank-you Bag for taking part."
Merenbeekjesrit, Belgium
Thomas wrote to us: "First of all we would like to thank you for sponsoring another great edition of our annual "Merenbeekjesrit". This year was again a great success, unfortunately the weather was not as good as last year, but we made the best of it. We had 160 participants and handed out all our gift bags. We also took some fun photos with the SIP merchandising which you can find attached. Thank you and we hope we can count on you again next year!"
70 years of Vespa Club Lille, France
Julien remembers: "1953-2023! This year was a special one for our club, because it was the rally for our 70th anniversary. On 6 and 7 May, 140 Vespas from France, Belgium and the UK came to Lille, northern France, for a fantastic weekend. As the weather was typically northern French (rain, clouds and a little sun), everyone enjoyed the 90 km Saturday ride to the "Monts des Flandres" in Cassel, a small medieval village located at the top of a long cobblestone climb at 176 metres above sea level.
On Saturday evening, numerous scooter riders were awarded SIP prizes at the gala dinner, awards ceremony and raffle. On the last day, Sunday, seven short rides took the participants to the metropolis of Lille, where they visited the Vauban citadel, the historic centre, the Vimy memorial from the First World War, a small brewery, the city of Lens and its stadium, etc. All in all, an incredible birthday rally.
We would like to thank SIP for their great support ... it's so nice to have a fantastic partner. Thank you guys so much."
Cannonball Scooter Run, Stockholm, Sweden
Goran tells us how it went: "The formula is: two days of riding, one orienteering run, usually 4-500 km in total, if you choose the best and shortest route, which not everyone does. There will be many checkpoints, some manned, where they have to use their driving skills, others unmanned, where they have to switch on their brains. Modern aids such as GPS are not permitted. At the start, the only aids participants receive are a map and a road book. Then it's all about finding the right route to the checkpoints and completing all the tasks. The Cannonball Run is not a scooter party, but a social gathering where scooter riding takes centre stage. In recent years, the rules for this event have been designed so that a maximum of 35 teams, consisting of two riders and two scooters, can take part.
Lambretta Club Stockholm was the organising club this year and hosted this year's event together with Vespa Club Stockholm and Stockholm South from South Scooter Suburbs. This event takes place at the same time every year as Thursday is a bank holiday, which is perfect for travelling. The race takes place on Friday and Saturday, and after the second day there is a dinner and awards ceremony where the winner receives a trophy to engrave and keep for a year. This year we didn't reach 35 teams as planned, but 13 teams signed up and off we went.
The start and finish were at the old abattoir site in Stockholm, and in one of the old buildings we decided to hold the briefing and the "Le Mans" start of the race, which went down very well. On the first day, we had to drive through the centre of Stockholm and the nearby suburbs, with all the checkpoints manned. On the second day, a longer 250 km ride on beautiful scooter roads south of Stockholm was on the programme. After two days and calculating the results, we had a final winning team.
I would like to thank our main sponsor SIP Scootershop, who agreed to be our main sponsor in a short time, and I would also like to thank all our local sponsors for making the Cannonball Run a success again. I would also like to thank all the members of the organising team and volunteers for their planning and help during the weekend. You guys are the best!"
Rollerweihe 17, Flachgau, Austria
Peter says: "This year we were able to organise the event without corona-related, stricter access controls and without limiting the number of visitors. Thanks to the favourable weather, over 600 scooters and around 700 visitors came to the Trummer Privatbrauerei site. This brewery has been our partner and generous sponsor of the scooter inauguration since 2008. There was an exception at our 10th anniversary, when the consecration took place in the old town of Salzburg and attracted over 1,000 participants.
The scooter consecration would not be possible without our loyal and long-standing sponsors, in particular Mr Roland Gruber (owner of the Andreas Hofer-Stube and Zwettlers Gaststube) and Mr Hannes Schwenter (Icezeit). Any financial surplus is always donated to social causes. In recent years, for example, we have been able to donate 10,000 euros to a girl from the region with a rare disease.
The scooter consecration is a one-day event that attracts many Vespa enthusiasts from Bavaria, Upper Austria and Salzburg. The highlights include:
A grand ride in the Salzburg Lake District.
The performance test bench at Mosti's scooter workshop.
The blessing of the scooters by a priest, either from a sidecar or a motorbike.
Our slow race, where the aim is to see who can negotiate an obstacle course the slowest.
Excellent catering with food and drink.
The Icezeit Ape, the proceeds of which go to our charity project.
Petrol talk and lifestyle exchange among all visitors.
Our 20th club anniversary is coming up next year and we are already thinking about what we could do to mark this special occasion. We would be delighted to have your support for 2024."
Poker Rally 2, 70 years of VC Aix-en-Provence, France
"Thank you to all the participants, the entire Vespa Club Aix team, all the Vespa Clubs present, the Vespa Club de France, all the volunteers, the sponsors, all the former members of Club Aix, Adonis, Les Halles 1889, the journalists, the Aix municipal police, the photographers and finally ... thank you to everyone we forgot to thank."
V-Days, Hartl, Austria
The report: "We would like to express our sincere thanks to SIP Scootershop for providing us with special conditions for setting up the Vespa 50SS. This support was crucial to the success of our project. The lucky winner of the main prize, a carefully restored Vespa and a matching garage, was delighted with her win. All the proceeds from the raffle ticket sales were donated to a charitable organisation in our region, making our event even more meaningful.
The awarding of the SIP Road Exhaust was also a special moment. In a humorous twist, this prize was presented to the last place winner of our dyno fun. With a tongue-in-cheek comment that she will certainly get more than 9.2 hp out of her Vespa P200E next time, we handed over this prize. This gesture not only showed our community spirit, but also our support for every participant, regardless of their ranking.
We would also like to mention SIP Fast Flow, which also played an important role in our event. SIP's technical expertise and high-quality products play a key role in making our events unique and memorable. We greatly appreciate this partnership and look forward to future collaborations."
Other events in May: Maicorso #23, Garbsen, Vespa Festival BW, Vespa Days Pörtschach, Perpingnan Scooter Run, The Resistance
June 2023
12. Annual meeting, VC Bayreuth
"From Friday, 2 June 2023, we started the 12th annual meeting with members and travellers. Including from Hamburg and the Czech Republic. It was amazing how far the Vespisti travelled to celebrate with us! Thank you for spending these days with us! Together, in a great atmosphere, we had great conversations in the clubhouse. It was a great opportunity to exchange ideas about our shared hobby and make new contacts in a cosy atmosphere. Catering was of course also provided. The highlight of this afternoon/evening was the sightseeing tour around Bayreuth. Our board member Reiner showed us the cultural heritage of the Wagner city with a lot of effort and heart! He did such a great job telling us the facts about Margravine Wilhelmine's Lock, Haus Wahnfried, the new palace and the opera house. Another highlight was a big corso through the city of Bayreuth and a visit to the folk festival."
3. Edizione: Giro della Provincia, Sicily, Italy
On Sunday 4 June 2023, 125 Vespisti Iblei took part in the third edition of the Giro della Provincia, a tour that covered all twelve municipalities in the province of Ragusa in Sicily. The event, organised by the Vespisti Iblei under the auspices of the Sicilian Region, was a great success, attracting teams from Malta, Niscemi, Catania, Noto and even a Hungarian Vespa rider. The majority of participants were from the host region, with representatives from Modica, Ispica, Pozzallo, Scicli, Ragusa, Comiso and S.Croce.
The route, which covered more than 200 kilometres, started at the famous Lock Donnafugata and passed through various towns, including Santa Croce Camerina, Comiso and Vittoria. After a lunch break in San Giacomo, the tour continued to the southern part of the province, ending in Piazza Matteotti in Modica. There, the participants were welcomed by Ignazio Abbate, the representative of the Sicilian region, and Domenica Ficano, a Vespa enthusiast and extraordinary commissioner of the municipality of Modica.
After almost 12 hours on the road, the day ended with the distribution of gadgets and much joy among the participants. Riccardo Blandino, President of Vespisti Iblei, praised the success of the tour, which is one of the most important in Sicily both in terms of the number of participants and the kilometres covered. Thanks to the support of the Sicily Region, SIP Scootershop and private sponsors, the event was free for participants, who were also honoured with official Vests and useful gadgets for their Vespas. Blandino thanked the club staff for their Insert and announced that more interesting initiatives would soon follow.
Città di Sovico, Italy
Davide writes: "On the weekend of 3 and 4 June, the second edition of the national rally of the Vespa Club Agrate Brianza "Città di Sovico" took place.
The rally was a two-day event: on Saturday, after welcoming the participants from near and far, there was a talk by Lorenzo Franchini, honorary member of the Vespa Club Leoni Rossi. During the event, which was attended by numerous people, he talked about his journey to "Where the World Ends", the adventurous crossing of the Argentinian Patagonia on his Vespa together with some friends. His words were accompanied by a short film documenting their journey. Lorenzo Franchini also took the opportunity to present his new book "Le Infinite Strade della Vespa" ("The Infinite Roads of the Vespa"). A short treatise on the magic of our beloved scooter, published in Italy by Ediciclo Editore.
The day continued at our Vespa Club headquarters with a happy hour, followed by dinner. The evening was enlivened by the first edition of "Vespanza", an amusing competition that entertained the participants with a "parade" and a no-holds-barred contest! The winner was Federico Fasolato from the Vespa Club Cairo Montenotte.
On Sunday morning, from 8.30 Clock, the participants arrived in large numbers in Piazza Frette in Sovico, despite the less than ideal weather conditions. Many of them, who had set off early, had to contend with the bad weather, but that didn't dampen their spirits. A good breakfast set everyone up for the tour, which went smoothly despite the difficulties on the roads caused by the heavy rain of the morning and the previous days. Kudos to the helpers for their excellent work, which enabled the large group to safely complete the 24 km tour, which passed through various towns in the Brianza Monzese area.
The Vespa parade arrived on time in Macherio - the last stop on the tour - where the Vespisti were able to refresh themselves with a sumptuous Aperitivo, followed by the awarding of a commemorative pennant to all participating Vespa clubs. The Regional Touring Championship prizes were then awarded to clubs and individual Vespa riders for the following categories: the largest group (Vespa Club Marchirolo), the youngest Vespa rider (Mazzei, Vespa Club Tre Laghi) and the Vespa rider who travelled the furthest (Maurizio Trombetta, Vespa Club Sora). They received special trophies: hand-painted ceramic plates made especially for the event by the group of young disabled people from the socio-educational centre in Casatenovo, an association with which our Vespa Club has been working for many years.
Special recognition also goes to the four members of the Vespa Club of the Philippines and the representative of the Vespa Club of Australia, who took part in both days of our event before leaving for the Vespa World Days in Interlaken.
It was two days of fun and light-heartedness and we would like to thank all the participating Vespa Clubs for their enthusiasm in making our 2nd National Rally a great celebration of Vespa in the name of friendship!"
Audax Vespando, Turin, Italy
Greetings from Sergio: "Vespando 5 was a great success, which attracted a lot of attention in Italy, even the local newspapers reported on it. Vespa riders also came from abroad, more precisely from Great Britain, Belgium, Switzerland and France, as well as Italian Vespa riders who travelled more than 1500 km to be there. In short, it was a great success, which leads us to plan Vespando 6 in 2024."
Vintage Engine and Music Festival, Peißenberg
Franco reports: "The Vintage Engine and Music Festival on 17.06.2024 was a complete success, the number of visitors over the day was around 7000. We were able to go through the programme according to plan. Thank you again for your support."
Italian week, VC Krumbach
There was a holiday feeling in Krumbach in June and the Vespa Club Krumbach was right in the middle of it. Around 30 scooters reinforced the Italian lifestyle and caused a stir in the town. Naturally, we were happy to support this event.
Rallye des 3 Massifs, Vespa Club Dauphinois
The Vespa Club Dauphinois organised its Rallye des 3 Massifs from 22 to 25 June 2023, during an exciting loop across 2 countries (France and Italy) and several rocky mountain areas (Queyras, Ecrins, Bavella).
The start of the regularity rally took place in La Grave (1,525 metres above sea level), where 50 teams of 4 scooters started. The 215 participants came from numerous countries: France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Great Britain, Switzerland, Austria and, for the first time, Québec! Despite the rainy weather at the start, the 50 teams crossed the French-Italian border at Col Agnel (2,744 metres above sea level) and then rode through the wonderful wine-growing region of Barolo to finish the first stage of 300 km in Savona. All the Vespa scooters embarked on a night ride to Bastia in Corsica for a new series of challenges and discoveries! It brought back good memories for everyone who took part in the 2018 Rallye 3-Massifs in Corsica.
In the most beautiful landscapes of Corsica, the 215 candidates found their way around small and winding roads in the interior of Corsica for two days. Some even got to test the brakes on their Vespa scooters while crossing the path of animals grazing nearby! This year, the organisers took the 200 Vespa scooters into the interior of Corsica, through mountains, fragrant maquis and rivers, past the famous Bavella Needles and the impressive Bonifacio! After returning to Ajaccio and travelling along the coast, the 50 teams took the ferry back to Toulon to spend the last day in the Alps! After 1,350 kilometres and four days, almost everyone arrived in La Grave at the end of the day. Everyone could proudly say: "I did it!"
This would not have been possible without the active support and contribution of the Vespa Club di Torino for organising the time control on the first day, the Scooter Club of Ajaccio for the warm welcome on the third day and the Vespa Club of Toulon for the breakfast and stage departure on the fourth day. MERCI!
Podium: 1) Team 4 Piston: Andreas Kiefer (VC Roude Leiw Letzebuerg); David Degering (VCRLL) Darius Weider (Vc Merano); Dirk Nauheimer (VC RLL)
2) Team 2 Stroke Wasps: Jeff Tintinger (VCLL); Giovanni Francesco (VCLL); Antonio Correira (VCLL); Daniel Dos Santos (VCLL)
3)Team Sensa Cognission : Fabrizio Santero (VC Torino); Luca Cameirone (VCT); Paolo Masserano (VCT); Alessandro Surano (VC Riviera dei fiori)
Other events in June: National Rally VC Toulouse Scootlouse, Vespa Treffen Franzensbad, Club Rally Scooter Club Euskadi, 23 Ibero Vespa, in-house exhibition & anniversary Mike's Garage, Restless Scooter Club
Continue with Part 2.
