A real charming event, where the little village of Torri played host for the second year running to the vintage motorbike club of Roquebrune Cap Martin. Last year was a trial, where the village provided appetisers before the club departed en masse for their proper lunchtime venue, but it was judged to be successful enough for the whole event to take place in the same place this time around.
The posters proudly announced the kick-off time as 12 noon and from early in the morning all cars were banished from their usual parking spaces in the piazza to make room for the visitors, while teams of villagers washed, swept and tidied. Tables were brought out from the church and the usual PA system set up, with most of the morning apparently being needed for system tests featuring British and American classic rock music played at high volume. But of course this is an Italian village and not a British one so such things pass without any dissent.
Noon came and went, with it the ordained time for lunch; not something to be disregarded lightly round here. Just before 1pm the first bikes swept into the piazza to deliver the cameramen, shortly followed by a small army of machines of all shapes, sizes and vintages. The club has a very friendly atmosphere and an impressive following on both sides of the border. After parking everyone tidily and politely applauding the usual speeches, no time was wasted in getting tucked into the appetisers and drinks. As events were running a little late everyone then trooped across to the bridge to the Osteria on the opposite side of the village, where tables were laid out under umbrellas for a proper lunch.
As for the machines themselves, they came in all guises; some veritable museum pieces and others very much working bikes. A bunch of Vespas sat like a small flock of brightly-coloured birds next to a Honda Gold Wing, a leviathan by comparison. Vintage Nortons and BMWs nudged each other companionably in the hot sunshine. One or two machines defied description and I'm sure never left a factory in their present form.
The event was definitely judged a success.
