Everyoneloves aEuro
Even the most enthusiastic Brexiteer would struggle to find fault
with this year’sbig two Euro rallies.
E
arly summer sees enthusiasts
of both major marques
heading across Europe to
gather with like-minded
enthusiasts. This year only a
week and 300 miles separatedVespa
World Days and Eurolambretta, with many
opting to take in both events. There’sno
doubt that the trek across Europe can be a
slog at times, but with attractions such as
Vienna, Budapest and Colditz lining the
route, this was the ideal two-stroke
road trip.
VespaWorldDays
First off the blocks on the weekend of
June 6-9 wasVespa World Days. Around
5,000Vespisti from 40 nations attended
the event, which was held in the beautiful
Hungarian lake resort of Zanka, numbers
that were no doubt helped by the central
European location and heatwave that
enveloped the continent.
Even if the accommodation was more
cold war than 21st century chic, holding
the rally onasocialist era holiday resort
helped to fosterasense of occasion. There
are few things worse than travelling
hundreds of miles to find no real hub of
activity,acomplaint that certainly can’t be
levelled against theVespa Club of
Hungary.Afull programme of
entertainment was laid on for the
weekend, ranging from live music to ride
outs that gave visitors the opportunity to
explore ‘hidden’ areas of this
beautiful region.
Acore part of VWDs is the ‘Vespa
Village’ where traders large and small vie
to separate party goers from their
hard-earned cash, whilst other attractions
such as the ‘Original Beauties’ display of
factory paint rarities catered for the
enthusiast.Ahighlight of any rally is
always the ride out, which in Zanka was in
epic proportions. Almost 45 minutes
elapsed between the first and last scooter
to leave the car park. At this point it’s
worth pausing to express our condolences
to the family and friends of Belgian
scooterist PhilippeWithof, who died
during the ride out.
The event closed withatraditional Gala
Dinner.This is alwaysaunique experience
in the world of scootering and Zanka
didn’t disappoint. National costumes
abounded and there were plenty of
opportunities to sing along with folk songs
and national anthems from around the
world. All things considered, this year’s
rally has to rank amongst the best
organised and attended VWD that many
can remember.Next year the event takes
on avery exotic appearance, reflecting the
Vespa’sworldwide appeal by moving to
Bali, Indonesia. If that’salittle too far,
fortunately there’salso aEuropean rally
being held in Portugal,acountry
renowned amongst motorcycle tourers for
stunning riding. There’sno doub tthat
Hungary’sset ahighbar,but 2020 looks
like being an exciting year forVespis ti.
112 |SCOOTERING|AUGUST2019
