VESPA Vs LAMBRETTA - The head to head contest

The importance of the Lambretta’s world records could not leave Piaggio cold. In the Spring 1950 at Monthléry, Piaggio entered the match to break the records set by Lambretta on the same racing track in February. Next goal, the absolute record

Once broken all the records over medium and long distances, Lambretta turned to shorter distances with a more accurate aerodynamic bodywork. During the ‘49-‘50 winter, it was rumoured that Vespa would take part in the contest and would do it with a scooter with a complete fairing. Lambretta tried to beat its rival on time and went back to Monthléry on the 21st February 1950 with three champions: the Benelli "pioneer" Dario Ambrosini joined in fact Masserini and Masetti. The weather was not so nice and a troublesome wind was blowing. Despite this, five important records were set: the 50 km, 50 miles, 100 km, 100 miles and the one-hour record. This time, the broken records were not from before the war, but those set by the French Remondini in October 1948 with the Jonghi 125 fitted with a double crankshaft engine. The two-hour record was added to these, but then the wind was too strong and the Lambretta frightfully skidded on straight stretches and had to quit. Average speeds ranged from 126.059 km/h of the 50 miles to the 121.353 km in an hour, but over the two hours speed lowered to 115.872 km/h because of the strong wind. Technical details and photographic records of the vehicle are very scarce. From the few photos, one can see a scooter with a reduced front section, fairing with side openings for access and a showy front air intake for engine cooling. Also the engine must have been considerably improved, mainly because the engagement was to be short, but, as we said, there are no documents. Vespa probably waited to know something about its rival’s possibilities, and entered the contest a month later, on the 24th March, also in Monthléry, with the riders Castiglioni and Mazzoncini. The Vespa scooter also was covered with a fairing and the driving position was even more awkward than that of Lambretta, to such an extent that some drivers had to be held up by mechanics at the end of their turns. Wind, often blowing at Monthléry, was not missing also this time. A strong gust pushed the third rider Otello Spadoni off the road, and he had to go back to Milan with a shoulder injury. Things went better during the attempts, which just aimed at breaking the six Lambretta records set the month before. Improvements were considerable: 134.054 km in the one-hour record, and a further increase of average speed in the two-hours contest (136.749 km/h), which showed the perfect efficiency of the vehicle. All these records were higher than those existing for the 175 class set before the war by the British Excelsior and the Italian Miller. According to reliable leaks, the machine had a 15-16 hp engine, and total weight of the empty vehicle was accurately kept at only about 68 kg. The weather change did not allow Piaggio to challenge more records, but the participants patiently remained on the spot and waited. From Italy a rider joined the team, Romano of Sertum, who was already accustomed to driving Vespa. Finally, on the 6th April, the weather improved and 11 more world records were set by Piaggio, from the 3 to the 9-hours records to the 500 km, 500 miles and 1000 km records. An amazing constancy in speed, as the averages evidence: between 125.713 km/h on the three-hour record and 123.537 km/h on the nine-hour record. These average speeds were about twenty km/h higher than those obtained on the same mileages by Lambretta. At this point, all was clear: what up to a few months before looked like an advertising policy decided by Lambretta, actually was an open contest between the two giants of the scooter world. It was not long before Lambretta challenged the records again. Back at Monthléry, from the 27th September to the 5th October, the 17 Piaggio records were beaten, and five more records were broken. Ambrosini, Ferri and Masetti had a whole fairing on their scooter (except for the separately faired front wheel) with an incredibly ugly scale look that recalled a beetle or a scorpion fish. But, luckily enough, the machine was efficient, as the extraordinary average speeds obtained on the 100 km/h evidence, with peaks over 142 km/h. The 22 records obtained were all those admitted by regulations: from 10 to 1000 km, from 10 to 1000 miles and from one to 12 hours, with averages always over 132 km/h. As for Vespa, many of these records surpassed the valid ones in the 175 class and five of them even surpassed the 250 class records. But regulations did not allow now to assign the records of one class to vehicles of a lower class, even if average speeds were higher. Few, as usual, are the details published in specialized magazines. As far as the engine is concerned, inner flywheels provided with a special intake fan finning are mentioned, which should make the fuel flow easier and provide a greater speed of the feeding and scavenging streams. A compression ratio of 8.7:1 is also mentioned.

Racing at higher speeds.
Winding up the debate, the Pontedera house anticipated Innocenti on the most prestigious record: the flying kilometre. The weapon was a low and streamlined torpedo, with the rider practically leaning on a saddle built around the reduced size of Dino Mazzoncini. The attempt on the flying kilometre took place at 8 a.m. on the 9th February 1951 on the stretch between km 10 and km 11 of the Roma-Ostia motorway. Speed was amazing at the first lap (average 174.418 km/h) and, even when corrected by the lower speed recorded in the opposite direction due to bad condition of the road surface in the flying stretch, the average was still surprising (171.102 km/h). Despite the insistence for a new attempt of Mazzoncini himself and some officials, the Piaggio managers, even if they were aware that speed could surpass 180 km/h, were satisfied with the results of the first two laps and did not intend to continue. The previous record, an average of 161.145 km/h set by Gino Cavanna with a Mondial two-shaft in 1949, was in fact by far surpassed, and also the class 175 record of the German Winkler was beaten. But, as we said, the new regulations did not allow registration in this class. The engine was specially built, on the Junkers scheme, with opposed pistons and two crankshafts connected by a gear chain. The preliminary project by Corradino d’Ascanio was air cooled, but, after some trouble due to high temperature, ingegner Vittorio Casini, charged of development, designed the water cooled final version. With a 42 mm bore and a 45 mm stroke of the two pistons, total cylinder power was 124.69 cm3. Feeding relied on two Dell’Orto carburettors, one for each crankshaft chamber. Ignition was by a special Piaggio flywheel magneto and two Magneti Marelli spark plugs with thermal degree 300 (MW 300 A). Fuel was alcohol mixed with 12% (!) Essolube lubricant and the compression ratio of 11:1 developed, in record conditions, 19.5 hp at 9500 rpm. The engine, the same as the scooter, was a three-gear block leading directly to the driving wheel. The chassis, completely hidden under the fairing, had a single central beam and was equipped with a girder fork, similar to the standard one, whereas the rear engine-gear group acted as a rocking arm opposed by rubber buffers. The special aerodynamic framework had a reduced front section. A part connected to the front wheel turned with the steering and shut out every improper air intake, whereas the small windschield was designed with a profile controlling air exit and eliminating turbulence. The rider access was through two wide doors that made up a whole with the fairing. For the record, Mazzoncini wore a special helmet similar to the one the German Henne was wearing for his first BMW world records. After this success, everybody was expecting Piaggio to break once more the Monthléry records conquered by Innocenti on long mileages, and the match was expected to become even hotter. Arturo Coerezza wrote in "Motociclismo" magazine: "The triumph of this first assault to the speed records is comforting Piaggio for future attempts to beat further records on medium and short mileages, that most probably will take place on the Monthléry racing track. And we know hat if the present speed record is improved, or even just threatened, Vespa has in store so much more power as to be able to defend and consolidate this record. This will place dr. Enrico Piaggio, ing. D’Ascanio, ing. Casini and all the other technicians in the highest ranks of technical progress". But Piaggio will not appear again. This may be due to the importance of the following records successfully broken, most of all the prestigious flying kilometre.