Adria day ten

Sunday morning saw everyone in Sottomarina feeling worse for wear at breakfast, everyone had to pack up all their gear and load it onto the Lambretta’s again to start the next part of the tour.

Ada’s Mrs had flown over to Sottomarina with a friend to have a holiday and meet up with us, when we were packed up they waved us off.

The plan was to head for Milan via Lake Garda where we would meet up with the people who had stayed at the Adria race track over the weekend.

We had a nightmare around Lake Garda and many of us got split up but eventually we found where the campers had parked their Lambrettas and met up with them. After taking a few photos and eating ice cream we set off again heading for Milan. We found out later that the three who had stayed at the camp site had been at Lake Garda for a while and had been out on the lake on sodding speed boat…… Barstuards!

When we went through the fist toll booth on the motorway Russ mentioned that he could hear Becko’s rear hub ticking. We checked it and sure enough one of the lugs had broke off, we had to change the hub before getting underway again.

It was a lot later than we planned by the time we got to Milan but still decided to go to Monza before heading to the hotel. When we arrived the guy at the entrance put his fingers to his lips as if to say “I wont say anything if you don’t” and let us ride in. As we got closer to the track it became obvious that there had been an event there during the day and people where leaving the area. I headed for the area behind the pits which we had managed to get into in 2014 when a few of us last rode there, that time the place was deserted but today it was crammed with people. We got stopped and were told that we couldn’t enter the area on the Lambrettas but then another guy came over with his thumbs up and after I told them we just wanted to take some photo’s they let us ride in. It seems if you go to Milan or Monza on a Lambretta you get to do what ever you like.

We parked up under the race control section behind the pits and took photo’s, it was a good opportunity to get the flag out again. A few of us walked up into the back of the stands and got onto the area above the podium and had a look if there was anyway to get down onto it. While looking an official guy walked out and looked up at us, we showed him the flag and asked if we could get a photo on the podium and to our amazement he agreed and waved us down to the entrance. It was a strange feeling walking through the indoor area behind the podium where so many famous F1 winners had walked, then the guy opened the door which lead out onto the podium. WOW amazing, we actually got to take photos and stand on the top step which is over the start finish line on the main straight. Personally this alone made the whole trip worthwhile.

Rather than riding back out the way we came, we opted to ride further into the complex to get more photos and no one blinked an eye, you really can do what you like in Milan if your on a Lambretta!

Eventually we left Monza and rode to the hotel, the hotel was great again, the rooms where fabulous and just by the bar there was a small courtyard with a modern swimming pool. It wasn’t long before we were in the pool cooling down and drinking the night away again.

During the evening Tino Sachi turned up with some parts for David “Henry” Smith who had broken down close to the hotel.

Some other Brummies turned up there later on too, members of the Brum Runners SC. One of them was Richard who’s birthday it was, rather than me buying him a drink he brought me one because how happy he was with the engine he had rode there on that I had built for him less than a month before. Happy days 🙂

This day had started a bit flat but had ended up being one of the most memorable days so far.

We all went to bed late looking forward to visiting the Innocenti factory tomorrow.

Day ten track

Day eleven

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