Going the distance | Italian rider smashes record for longest 24 hour Vespa journey at 766 miles

Intrepid Italian Valerio Boni has entered the records books by setting a new benchmark for the furthest distance travelled in 24 hours on a 50cc scooter.

Boni completed 615 laps of the Sitges-Terramar circuit in Catalunya, Spain, riding a Vespa 50 built way back in 1979. The record now stands at 766.19 miles, 189.5 more than the previous feat set in 2005 by Aussie, Mark Brown.

He began the ride at midday on March 6, riding through to take his sixth accolade in just three years.

“I saw the Terramar track for the first time in 2018 and I was fascinated,” Boni said. “The concrete slabs of the bottom are very uneven, but given the reduced speed, I considered taking the risk.

“I must say that an important part of the choice was made by the ‘round’ numbers involved: with a 45-year-old scooter, a track that has just celebrated a century of life, 55 years since the first Vespa 50 Special, 100 years of the Pontedera plant, where the Vespa is built, and finally my 65 years.”

Although fuelling on the record run was done on the move, Boni did have to stop briefly to sort out an eye irritation caused by dust, meaning it wasn’t possible to go for a non-stop 24-hour riding record.

Prior to this, Boni achieved 584.089 miles on the same scooter some 45 years ago. Other records by the Italian include the greatest distance on a minimoto.