2018 Vespa World Days hits Belfast

The 2018 edition of the Vespa World Days came to a close in Belfast on June 18, as Vespa clubs from all over the world went their separate ways.

Over 3000 Vespas officially registered for the event – as well as thousands that drove over from throughout the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland on the spur of the moment –
representing 37 nations, from the United States to Indonesia, from Australia to Mexico, from Canada to China, and including all of Europe and the Mediterranean area up to Israel.

A parade of Vespas made its way along the splendid Causeway Coast, amid green fields and the North Sea, en route to Belfast. Of the many Vespas on parade, the award for the oldest and most precious went to a 1951 Vespa Douglas – in a perfect state of conservation and still with the original period spare tyre.

As is traditional, the final act of the Vespa World Days was to announce the winners of the Vespa Trophy, a tourist trophy in which Vespa Club members demonstrate all of their stops on the way to Belfast thanks to photos and special stamps in their travel books.

Victory went to Italy, thanks to Vespa Club Verona, which came in ahead of Vespa Club Morciano di Romagna, while third place went to Belgium's Vespa Club Oostende. Special recognition also went to the Presidents of Vespa Club Cyprus and Vespa Club Oostende, while for the first time the award for Solo Vespa Driver went to a woman, a member of Vespa Club Prague who travelled over 6000km to reach Belfast.

The next edition is set for 2019 and will be held in Hungary.

Today, there are 53 national Vespa Clubs associated with the Vespa World Club and hundreds of registered local Vespa Clubs. There are more than 120,000 members worldwide.

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