On Saturday 13th July, from 4pm the “Milan – Taranto”which will cross the finish line on the Vittorio Emanuele III seafront, in front of the Rotonda where, immediately after, over 150 historic motorbikes and some less “elderly” ones will be lined up to show themselves to the public.
The competition, which sees the participation of competitors from all over the world, as far as the United States and Australia, will start at midnight on Sunday 7 July, from the Novegro exhibition park in Milan.
The Milano Taranto was a competitive race for motorcycles from 1937 to 1956, whose finish in the Ionian city is due to the Taranto native Mario De Introna. Since 1987, by will of Frank Sabatini the event commemorating the historic competition was born, which sees the vintage motorbikes leave from Milan to reach Taranto after a week, through a route that runs through Italy characterized by stops in many municipalities of the beautiful country, where the competitors are welcomed by local communities who offer them local products. After a few years when, due to logistical and administrative problems, the final ceremony was moved to Bari, finally, thanks to the organization of the Lambretta Club Taranto and the availability of a new accommodation facility, the celebrations and awards ceremony have also returned to the ground ionic.
Competitors, their staff and the organizers of the event will be treated to a “refreshment” based on local products, which the Lambretta Club Taranto itself makes available, thanks to the collaboration of some local companies.
In the 2023 edition, Taranto came in fourth place in the special ranking of national refreshments, despite being at its first experience. The hope this year is to improve on this result, thanks also to the support of an audience that must be numerous. On Saturday 13 July, starting at 4:00 pm, the competitors will arrive in Taranto, after leaving Potenza in the morning to travel the last stage that, through Lucania and Puglia, passing through Grottaglie and San Giorgio Ionico, will finally arrive in the Ionian capital. The competitors will first gather in Piazza Ebalia, from where they will set off in groups to travel the “last mile” and cross the finish line near the Rotonda del Lungomare, as has been happening since 1937.
This year the arrival of the motorbikes will be preceded by some historic vehicles of the police forces of the Club Alfisti in Pattuglia Onlus who, with sirens blaring, will open the way for the competitors and by the fanfare of the Bersaglieri.
On the roundabout, among the food stands, a stage will be set up on which the competitor coming from the furthest away will be awarded, who will be awarded the “Mario De Introna” cup, now in its second edition, dedicated to the creator of the Milano Taranto, awarded last year to a Californian centaur.
Participants and the public will be able to deepen their knowledge of the history of the Milano Taranto through a photographic exhibition of historical articles extracted from period newspapers kept in the newspaper library of the Acclavio Library of Taranto.
