2013 Vespa World Days
The most important Vespa concentration in the world – Vespa World Days 0- ended Sunday after four days of adventure, excitement and a lot of fun sharing a love for Vespa.
The return trip for the Vespa riders is considered as a fundamental part of the Vespa World Days, partly because it will take time to cover the significant distances that separate numerous participants from their homes. Some of the more than 3,000 participants have instead decided to stay until Sunday in order to enjoy the last, unforgettable embrace of the inviting Hasselt in Belgium.
Saturday evening, during the gala dinner, the winners of the competitions held during Vespa World Days 2013 were awarded: the Vespa Trophy touring competition went to the Vespa Club of Sirmione which participated with six Vespas, while the hundred participants in the Elegance Competition were all awarded with honourable mention without any specific ranking.
The last “contest” on the program was also held Saturday morning: the gimkana race, on a route designed to enhance the handling typical of each Vespa and to test the rider’s skill. The race was won by the Vespa Club of Rovereto.
By now it is well known that Vespa riders have no fear of foul weather. Saturday afternoon, despite the less than favorable weather, all the planned outings took place regularly. The desire to ride a Vespa unites 2,300 scooters that departed for the outings and peacefully invaded the streets of the Belgian village and the surrounding areas, accompanied by the unmistakable buzz of the elegant classic Vespa two-stroke engines.
Three thousand Vespa riders participated: 2,300 registered riders; 173 Vespa Clubs were represented, 28 of which were Belgian and 145 foreign. The most represented country was naturally Belgium with 722 registered participants, followed by Germany with 408 and Italy with 318.
The age difference between the youngest (born in 2003) and the most senior (born in 1929) participants was seventy-four years; 1,700 km were ridden by a Vespa rider who came all the way from St. Petersburg. These are just a few of the statistics from the 2013 edition of Vespa World Days, which are a testament to the success of this Belgian edition and bode well for the appointment next year, scheduled to be held at Mantua.
Vespa World Days are present vespa.com and on the official social media sites such as facebook.com/vespa and can also be followed at twitter.com/vespa_official or with hashtag #vwd2013.
