After all these years, the Vespa still has some surprises. In this case, the Vespa is a 1979 Vespa 50 Special that has just set the new world record for the longest distance traveled in 24 hours by a 50cc scooter.
Certified by the Guinness World Records organization, the new record distance is now 1,233.07 kilometers, about 305 kilometers more than the previous record set by Australian Mark Brown in 2005. To make the event worthy of a few more stories, not only is the scooter a 45-year-old Vespa 50cc, but the same Vespa in 1979 achieved a similar feat, although not officially recognized, covering a distance of 941 kilometers on the Pirelli test track.
A second factor that makes the new record unique is that aboard the Vespa 50 Special was the same rider from 45 years ago. His name is Valerio Boni, a test rider and media man who was 20 years old in 1979 and is now 65, but still has the same passion for extraordinary endurance feats aboard various types of two-wheeled vehicles.
