Five years ago, in May 2019, Stefano Bonetti caught attention from the BBC, Northern Irish newspapers and websites thanks to his success riding a Paton at the North West 200, the motorcycle road race attended by over one hundred thousand spectators every year. Recently, however, the 47-year-old Castro worker took possession of one of the most iconic squares in the world, Times Square, in New York: a square that hit the headlines for the gaffe of the Italian Minister of Culture who claimed he was in London. Almost 400 thousand people pass through here every day and some of them find space advertising screens largest in the world.
One of these measures 18 thousand square feet, which is equivalent to over thirty meters high. For a year and a half, this large screen has been available to the public who can purchase a 15-second advertising space, spending the modest sum – especially for US fees – of 40 dollars (37 euros). To do this you need to download the TSX app, enter your details and upload the video or a sequence of 5 photos, paying by credit card. Messages of a religious and political nature are prohibited, as are copyrighted content, telephone numbers, links to websites and even QR codes. The user can choose the date and time of video playback, to which, after approval, a code consisting of the day, time of viewing and progressive number is assigned. About ten minutes before the broadcast he receives a notification on the app warning him of the upcoming broadcast.
The book cover projected in Times Square, New York
Finding myself on holiday in New York, I thought I would take advantage of this opportunity to promote my book entitled «North West 200: The most beautiful race in the world». Among the protagonists of this volume there is precisely Bonetti, through his 2019 feat but also with the story of his first tragicomic trip to the North West 200 in 2005 and even with a chapter in which he retraces his friendship with the another Bergamo native, Fausto Duci, who passed away prematurely. So I chose to include in the sequence of photos one which unusually portrays «Bonny» sitting on the sofa with the book in his hand, before the photo of Simona Zaccardianother protagonist of the volume, by virtue of her two participations in the NW200, the second while she was still breastfeeding.
Moto, the Bergamo rider Bonetti and the book on the North West 200 protagonists at Times Squadre.
The proceeds for a defibrillator in Tagliata
Furthermore, the proceeds from this volume, which in March quickly exceeded the 500 copies sold, will be used to buy a defibrillator for the district of Tagliata, in the municipality of Costa Serina: the inauguration is scheduled for mid-June, but the hope is not to having to use it, at least not that day.
