150 Vespa Clubs, 20 countries of origin, more than 1000 Vespas officially registered and a crowd of Vespa enthusiasts who came to Gjøvik from all over Norway: the Scandinavian triumph of the Vespa community.
Gjøvik, May 23rd 2011 - Yesterday afternoon the 2011 edition of Vespa World Days, the great world gathering of Vespa enthusiasts which hosts thousands of fans from all over the world every year came to an end. From Thursday, May 19th, a large number of fans and brightly coloured Vespas began to crowd the town of Gjøvik, about one hundred km from Oslo, and they celebrated the definitive scooter-legend for the entire weekend.
The "four-days" Vespa was one exciting event after another: from the Vespa rides in the area around Gjøvik to the evening shows with music and performances. There were many participants for the excursion scheduled on Friday, May 20th on the streets of Lillehammer, the famous town which hosted the 1994 winter Olympic games.
The highlight came, like it does every year, on Saturday morning: at 9:00 AM on May 21st, the first Vespa riders had already begun to gather to be ready at 10:00 AM for the grand parade. Thousands of Vespas, lots of different colours and models, from the most vintage models to the new range, paraded in a lively procession for more than 80 km: Like every year, no one missed out on the chance to show off their Vespa. An acrobatic show on Vespas concluded the saturday parade.
Saturday evening, after the gala banquet, with more than one hundred fifty tables set for the thousands of officially registered Vespa riders, the awarding of the Vespa Trophy was the prelude to a festive evening with live music, dancing and acrobatic shows on Vespas to delight and excite all of the fans.
Club Vespan e Salam won the competition between the travelling Vespa riders: departing from San Damiano D’Asti, with more than 3000 km travelled and 7 countries visited, the members of Club Vespan e Salam won the second edition of the Vespa Trophy, the touring trophy which was established in the 2010 edition of Vespa World Days in Fatima which rewards Vespa Clubs from all over the world. The help and participation of Piaggio dealers all over Europe is fundamental for this fun and enthralling Vespa competition. More than 2000 Piaggio dealers participated in the initiative stamping countless Travel Books: a stamp for each stop made by the Vespa Clubs headed for Gjøvik before the conclusion of the competition on Saturday afternoon.
The Norwegian edition of Vespa World Days confirms the fifth consecutive success of an event which involves all Vespa Clubs of the world. It was the year 2007 when, in San Marino, thousands of Vespa riders of all ages gathered together for the first Vespa World Days to set the appointment for 2008 in Cefalù, in Sicily, and for the next year, June 2009, in Zell Am See, in Austria. In June 2010 in Fatima, Vespa World Days renewed the invitation to neo-enthusiasts and seasoned patrons, for the 2011 edition to celebrate the values of friendship and adventure which Vespa has symbolised for 65 years, this time in Norway.
The history of Vespa-based gatherings has much deeper roots: in 1953 the first Euro Vespa was born which renewed the appointment with Vespa riders each year until 2007 when, to involve Vespa enthusiast from all over the world, it changes its name to Vespa World Days.
Today, there are 40 National Vespa Clubs associated with the Vespa World Club and over 700 registered local Vespa Clubs, for a total of nearly 40,000 members world-wide.
Vespa World Days 2011 edition was, once again, an event long awaited by many, which involved thousands of people and thrilled Vespa riding nomads as well as many Norwegians, fascinated and astonished by the many Vespas. The most incredible story this year, however, was perhaps written by a newlywed couple from Montemarciano near Ancona which, in Fatima during the 2010 edition, planned their wedding a week from the Vespa gathering so that they could begin their honeymoon at the Gjøvik 2011 edition of Vespa World Days.
The next appointment will be in London in 2012 for another fun-filled and colourful edition of Vespa World Days.
