Valerio Boni and His 1979 Vespa 50cc Set Distance Record
Boni and the little Vespa 50 managed to cover 766 miles in 24 hours
A bike-loving record breaker has added another feather to his cap, after setting a Guinness World Record on a rather unusual motorcycle.
Two-wheeled records generally feature bikes pushing the rev limiter and the speedometer to the maximum. Not this one though, as the record set by Valerio Boni and his Vespa 50 was done at no more than 34 mph!
That low speed makes total sense when in the context of a distance record though, and Boni and his team managed to keep the wheels turning as much as possible, enabling them to claim the record for the longest distance travelled by a 50cc (stock) scooter, 766.19 miles in 24-hours.
Valerio and the same Vespa 50 taking on another record 45 years ago!
Boni is no stranger to holding records, and is already the fastest man to ski behind a car on asphalt, and holds a host of other distance records on petrol and electric bikes. Interestingly, neither is the bike, as the machine Boni used for this attempt was the exact same one he used 45 years ago to travel 584.089 miles in 24 hours, although that time it was not in a Guinness World Record-certified attempt.
The record-breaking ride took place at the Spanish circuit of Terramar, close to Barcelona in Spain. As Boni explained, when he saw the venue he knew it was the perfect place for the record-breaking ride.
"I saw the Terramar racetrack for the first time in 2018” Boni recalls “and I was fascinated. It feels the weight of time and in some points, the concrete slabs of the bottom are very uneven, but given the reduced speed, I considered taking the risk and facing the long trip. I must say that an important part of the choice was made by the "round" numbers: a 45-year-old scooter, a track that has just celebrated a century of life, 55 years since the presentation of the first Vespa 50 Special, 100 years of the Pontedera plant, where the Vespa is always built, and finally my 65 years."
As is the way, when you have one record, you generally want more, and that is the case for Boni. He’s now planning on breaking a host more records, this time with E-bikes and he’s hoping to break the one, 12, and 24-hour records on one.
Images from Valerio Boni.
Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
