RIDING IN LAMBRETTA


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

MILANO - TARANTO
Rievocazione storica per moto d'epoca a tappe
Having celebrated my fortieth birthday a little while ago, I felt rather surprised, not to say shaken, on being informed by my husband that he had registered me for the "Milano-Taranto", the historic commemoration rally for veteran motorbikes, in which he had participated the year before. On the other hand, I have to say that although I am a calm and peace-loving office mole, I have been dragged several times into trans-Saharian adventures and deeply share my husband's passion for veteran motorbikes. In any case, my decision to participate in the "Milano-Taranto" and to drive a motorbike for more than 1.500 km was caused at first more by the idea that it would have been impossible to get back the entry fee than by a conscious line of thought. With the passing of days the interest shown by other veteran motorbike fans in this revival rally certainly helped to ease my first feeling of consternation. A very important feature was the choice of the motorbike which, in my opinion, had to be sufficiently trustworthy and robust to carry me through the Italian peninsula without taking excessive risks. A Moto Guzzi seemed to be an obvious choice, more particularly a glorious and completely restored GT 16 of 1932, which had already been to Abissinia. It seemed to me the most adequate vehicle for this adventure. However, after having experienced the recoil of the starter and the difficulty of balancing all its 180 kilos on the rack, I changed my mind and started thinking of a more human transport vehicle, better fit for a lady of my age. At this time the idea of using a Lambretta came up – why not? At first we were thinking of an LD 150 with its ample, clean and protective design, but finally we decided on a D 150 built in 1955, due to its lower weight and an easier access to the engine in case of repairs being necessary. The restoration had been carried out by our dear friend Strigini. All the rest was perfectly original, even in the slightest details. Then followed a sensible running-in period and a control of the perfect state of tyres, brakes and electrical plant. The only addition, a further headlight (period accessory) which was to support the original one during the first night route.

When I got to know that two more Lambretta drivers, Howard (British) and Alessandro (Italian) were partecipating, I certainly felt heartened. The conviction I would be able to bring the adventure to a happy ending grew daily, also thanks to the support from my husband Tino.
Then finally came the fateful day of the start, more precisely the night of the start. According to a tradition, the rally started in fact at midnight of July 2nd, from Piazza Castello in Milan.
I suddently found myself surrounded by roaring and qualified veteran motorbikers, and this certainly increased my feeling of uneasiness. At the same time, however, I felt spurred to cut a fine figure in spite of the odds. An unconscious feeling of coalition of the three Lambretta drivers emerged, as we wished to "defend" ourselves against the "predominant superiority" of the other participants. I have to say, though, that after the first moment of incredulity, I had many professions of solidarity not only from my racing-team companions but also from the other competitors driving the "big motorbikes", who at first did not believe that these three scooters would make it to the seaside of Taranto. I have to admit that the emotion generated by the night departure, with the flashlight illumination and crowds of people on both sides of the road, was great. Even more exciting was the fact that while not all the brands of the other motorbikes were easy to recognise for the public, the Lambretta scooters awakened distinct memories of a recent past. Memories which made young and old point their fingers and say: "Look, a Lambretta!!..."
Having left behind the big city, which despite the late hour was still alive, at the Idroscalo, Milan's big artificial lake, we already plunged into complete darkness, hardly broken by the yellow beams of the Lambretta headlights. Small groups of enthusiasts were waiting for the participants of the "Milano-Taranto" passing through the villages and crossroads, just as during the heroic times of Venturi and Francisci (the latter held the record in 1955 with an average speed of more than 125km/h on roads open to regular traffic!).
Time-checks and catering shops worked splendidly, also thanks to a friend of ours acting  as a forerunner with the headlights of his motorbike. Thus, at dawn, we arrived in Bologna without big problems, just in time to tackle with the Futa mountain pass, which once - before the building of the "autosole" motorway - caused joy and pain to whoever was to cross the Appennine mountain chain.

Until this moment the only trouble had been the mosquitos, on an apparent collision course with our glasses. Everything went smoothly and the engines of our Lambretta scooters did not show signs of strain. We were therefore able to "attack" the slopes of the Futa - and the Raticosa - mountains without hesitation in second gear, even shifting occasionally into third gear.
We had the sensation, however, that some "smashing bikers" had already lost the "drive" of the start. Indeed the assistance service was already at work; nothing serious – still  somebody was let down by his motorbike. To be honest, we have to say that the Italian Lambretta fans provided technical assistance throughout the rally, and Jan and Margit with their car and trailer did not lose sight of us from the beginning  to the end, finding  their way even when traffic was heavy. Although we never needed their help, knowing they were there gave us just that little bit more of tranquillity.
So, we reached Florence bent on our bikes and at full throttle (downhill). We continued on the Cassia and Flaminia, the ancient roads to Rome during the Roman empire. We crossed the world-famous Chianti region an reached Siena, our first stop after 440 km. The night spent in an excellent hotel was the ideal arrangement to recover from a whole  night on a motorbike!
The next day we were off on our way to Perugia, driving through the Umbria region and crossing the Radicofani pass to Viterbo for another 350 km. The itinerary was extremely pleasant, the roads sloped up and down invitingly and encouraged us to have one eye on the landscape, while the other eye was fixed on the chronometer to make sure we were following exactly our "road book". Certainly we had little time to spare, since it was difficult to recover the precious time spent on refueling. I must point out, in any case, that our scooters did not show any signs of "fatigue" and we were able to keep a good position in the overall classification.
Puffed-up as I was, there was a moment when I thought that arriving first would be a nice success after all – but I soon came down to earth and felt happy even if I arrived among the last.
At our departure from Viterbo I had the first little problem with starting the engine, but I solved it by just pushing the scooter for a few meters. The problem, however, continued throughout all the way to Taranto (in the end we discovered the coil was faulty). Then, there was another problem with Alessandro's Lambretta, but this was quickly solved and for the rest of the way everything was ok. We were in an excellent mood and all three of us enjoyed following for a little way the Flaminia national road. We proceeded always at a few meters distance from one another and at full speed, even if in this section a strong wind blew and pushed us from one side of the road to the other.
When we crossed the villages everybody gave us their welcome, and I must say that, being the only woman still in the race at this stage, I felt a little proud of myself. At the refreshing stops I always received a warm welcome, I was interviewed by local TVs, I got flowers and congratulations from other women. There were however also noisy and annoying mopes, who tried to start speed competitions....
At this point the group of participants was much smaller and some engines had fallen victims to overheating. We, on our part, had already the finish in view. Unfortunately, our  attention slipped for a while and we took the wrong way, missing one of the time-checks. This meant goodbye to our dreams of glory, since this mistake made us fall back significantly in the classification based on points. What a pity!
However, during the race as well as during meals and refreshments the manifestations of support and admiration became more and more evident and made us feel proud for having had faith in the robustness and the technical qualities of our Lambrettas. After crossing the Irpinia hills, the gently sloping plains of the Capitanata region and the heights near Bovino we reached Foggia, having driven for 530 km non-stop. There, we received an exceptionally warm welcome. By then we felt we had made it, only the last stage and 290 km separated us from Taranto!
At this stage the Lambretta scooters had not only become the mascot of the rally but also objects of curiosity anywhere we stopped. Despite the by then usual starting problems, my 150 D (once the  engine had been conviced to start) continued on its way to the finish without problems. Slowly approaching Taranto we passed the Puglia plain, watched the "trulli", curiously shaped round houses typical of this part of Italy, and, at the refreshment points, we tasted local sweets and some luscious watermelons. And then finally we saw the sea and with it the city of Taranto, the seaside promenade and the finish, which had already welcome the participants of many editions of the "Milano-Taranto". The three of us crossed the finish line together.
The joy of having arrived and of having been able to cross the finish line together was immense. My happiness was even increased by the satisfaction of having brought my Lambretta all the way to the end and of having seen a lot of beautiful places I maybe would never have visited otherwise. Not to mention the kindness of my companion team who did everything to give us all a pleasant recollection of this veteran motorbike rally.
I am at the complete disposal of all the "ladies" who would like to make this experience and need some further information (Nadia, tel. 0039-2-90631759).

Nadia Sacchi

 

Technical characteristics of the vehicle

Engine: Robust, reliable and flexible, free from vibrations, silent in every speed range, sufficient performance.
Road holding: Optimum road holding on smooth surface, good holding on wet roads, attention on sand and gravel.
Suspension: Back suspension excellent in all situations, front suspensions tend to go down when brakes are used or when hitting holes in the road.
Brakes: Excellent, resistant to wear and tear even after long drives downhill.
Comfort: Good, rational driving position, ergonomic positioning commands, driver's seat uncomfortable.
Baggage transport: Sufficient.