The turnout of Italian and foreign enthusiasts to celebrate the 90th anniversary of Moto Guzzi in Mandello del Lario, which reached 20,000 participants during the three-day Giornate Mondiali Guzzi (Guzzi World Days) event, exceeded expectations. Those in attendance represented 52 countries, with everyone enjoying the beautiful scenery of Como Lake astride modern and classic Moto Guzzis.
During the event the historic Moto Guzzi factory was open to all visitors, with a special tour that exhibited current renovations as well as the 1950 Wind Tunnel, production shops and the Moto Guzzi Museum. It was also the setting for the unveiling of the California 90, a special 90th anniversary edition of the classic V-twin cruiser.
Senior management of the Piaggio Group, which owns Moto Guzzi, was on hand to outline investments allocated to Moto Guzzi–more than 40 million Euros over the next 5 years, in addition to previous investments in the Mandello del Lario plant–and the success of the brand. Thanks to the new 2011 models like the Stelvio 1200 8V, Norge 1200 8V and the V7 Racer, in the first eight months of 2011 Moto Guzzi sold more than 4,300 units worldwide, an increase of 31% versus the same period in 2010.
On Saturday, September 17, awards were presented: the Easy Rider award, for the Guzzista who travelled the farthest, went to Tony Horn, from Melbourne, Australia; the most experienced Guzzista was Mario Crippa, born in Monza in 1932; the youngest Guzzista award went to Roberta Botta, from Borgo Vercelli, born in 1991; as well as bike club awards and others. The festivities continued into the night, with the Moto Guzzi Rock Live concert. The event concluded on Sunday with a parade through the streets of Mandello del Lario.