Imola Rally 2004

Everything is ready to set off, but the night before me, Dean and Maicol ended up at 2 a.m. to get my Lambretta combo finished for the rally. What a feeling riding it home at 3 o'clock in the night though! Attending the rally with us are Andy from Scootering mag, his girfriend and a mate of him, Bob. It's a very warm day and they arrive at my house where I will lend Andy my TV175 for the rally so they all three will have their own Lambretta to ride (Dean had already given one to Ann and Bob). We don't have a very long way to ride and in just a hour we are there, but there's an insistent wind against us and matching this with the fact I am running in the bike, I am a little scared to get an unwelcomed seizure. Anyway we get there no problem and accomodate in the very comfortable hotel Dean has booked for us all. We then reach the place where the organizers are doing iscriptions and meet the usual friends, relaxing and drinking something fresh.

   

I would have expected more people attending the rally, in fact the evening do is a bit empty but it's only Friday and probably most of the people have planned to arrive on Saturday. Anyway with a good mix of Soul and alcohol we enjoy the do till late, only after that while I'm parking the scoot in the hotel I don't have the exact measures of my sidecar and provide a little damage on the freshly done paintwork on a pole. No worries there are painters to fix it. My wife Valentina who is inside the sidecar says she realized what was going to happen but had no time to tell me.  Saturday and more people arrive, there's a ride on the top of a hill planned for the afternoon from which there is a fantastic seightseen.

   

The evening do in the same place "La Curva" is well crowded this time; we had our meal celebrating my 40th (!!!!!) birthday, still can't believe it and on Sunday another ride in the beautiful sunny hills then the ending lunch all together and it's time to come home.