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Fourth stage, Thursday 5 July: Pomezia - Caserta, under Napels (343km).
That afternoon we past road signs pointing towards "Cassino" or the Monte Cassino. The location of Monte
(mountain) Cassino is roughly between Rome and Naples. At the top (519 meters above sea lever), a
Benedictine abbey (monastery) is located. It was built on a Roman fortification and was destroyed several
times in the past. Every time it was rebuilt. The final destruction dates from the Second World War. During
mid-February 1944, the battle of Monte Cassino between the well-entrenched Germans and advancing Allies was
at a peak. The Allied High Command suspected (wrongly) that the Germans had also entrenched the monastery
and levelling the monastery by bombing was inevitable. In this building of peace and prayer hundreds of local
Italians had found a shelter. Within three hours, this would be their final resting place. However, many
treasures of art from the monastery were previously brought into safety. Fighting still went on in the ruins
of the abbey. Eventually Polish soldiers conquered the location. Post-war reconstruction took more than a
decade and was fully financed by the Italian government. After so many centuries the Abbey of Monte Cassino
remains the origin of Western monasticism. Unfortunately we lacked the time to visit the monastery. A
checkpoint nearby would have been great! We would have kept the peace, but 'peace and quiet' would have been
disturbed by our group of 150+ motorcycles ;-)
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As I wrote previously, during the daily stages, you can score bonus points to improve
your position in the classification. At certain check point’s two lines are drawn on the street. Distance
between the lines can be anything between 5 and 15 meters. Next to the first line you can see a digital
clock ticking away the seconds. The trick is to pass the second line exactly as stated on your card. You
should do this as precise as possible. The time is measured up to 0,0001 (ten thousands) of a second.
Number 1 will receive the maximum amount of bonus points, number 2 a point less and so on. Unfortunately,
I did not manage to score any of these bonus point. I will have to practise this in future. A few more
penalty points were 'cashed' thanks to the timing of the organisation. At the start in Milano, they had
explained that the large central clock was synchronized by a radio signal from Frankfurt/Germany. Also
they mentioned, the strength of the signal in southern Italy was less and this could have consequences.
What they did not mention was that a local checkpoint used a small digital (kitchen) clock which was not
very well synchronised with the large main clock. I had a watch on my bike, which I had synchronised with
the main clock. When I left the checkpoint (on their time), I took off 2 minutes early, |
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Nice meeting with Salvatore in Piedimonte Matese |
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Left-to-right: (135) Guzzi Special 500cc/1936,
(78) Mondial 200cc/1952, Guzzi GTC 500cc/1937, Indian Chief 1200cc/1944 and a selfbuilt 175cc Morini racer
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BEAT the clock
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due to their poorly synchronized time, resulting in another 2 penalty points :-( That way,
my total went up to 7, but fortunately would not increase any further. Should I have push started the bike in
Milano, I could have reduced the number of penalty to only 2, which would have resulted in a 4th instead of
6th overall position in the 350cc class. That afternoon with about 40km's to go, I had a very nice meeting.
On more than one occasion I was approached by Italians who commented positively on my Moto Morini "Tremezzo"
(three-and-a-half). They liked the fact that I have the first model from 1973, the so-called 'prima seria'
(first series). The Italians are always very pleasant and are nice company. Now I met Salvatore. some years
ago, he sent me an email with a question on the very rare colour of his Morini 350. Fortunately, I was able
to point him in the right direction. Now he had seen my name in the roadbook seen and looked forward to meet
the "number 117". A very pleasant meeting indeed, but unfortunately we did not have too much time, as I had
to leave to avoid more penalty points. I strictly left on the correct times because of the previously
mentioned reason.
Fifth stage, Friday 6 July: Caserta - Matera (356km).
Sixth and final stage, Saturday 7 July: Matera - Taranto (142km).
At the final stage we took of as usual. Distance of this last trip was 142 km's only. At the beginning,
the roads were flat, so we rode our bikes almost full throttle. As always, it was important to pay enough
attention to the road and surroundings to not miss any turns. Fortunately the organization must have thought
the same, because at a specific exit they had placed a person with a brightly coloured jacket and a big flag.
He pointed us in the right direction. A day earlier, there was no one at a Y-junction. Up to this split, the
road went on straight forward. I went quite fast and focused on the road. Passing the exit and looking from
the corner of my eye. Within 200 meters I realised I had missed it and had to turn back.
Meanwhile we were getting close to Taranto, our final goal. The sky over the city looked very dark grey and
black. A very heavy downpour could start any time. Next there was fierce lightning over the sea. We were not
too comfortable at the thought of a huge shower. The weather gods (or was it Neptune ?) were in our favour
as it stayed dry. Later, on the outskirts of town, large puddles in the streets showed the sky had opened
indeed, but not over our heads :-))
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In Villa Castelli, with Taranto only 30 km's to go, our cards were collected by Anna. Anna was German and translated
the instructions of "tour director" Franco Sabatini into German and English. Very useful indeed for those not speaking
or understanding Italian.
It was a memorable moment, because all week, we were focused on those cards. Collecting them first thing in the morning,
getting them stamped at the checkpoints and - most important - handing them in at the end of the day. Anna told us from
Villa Castelli we would ride on as a group to Taranto. Taranto is a large (navy) port. The city has large apartment
buildings. The noise (and smell) of 150 motorcycles reverberated against the facades of the buildings. The Italians did
not mind, the more noise, the better they seem to like it. Just before the boulevard of Taranto, there is a square, called
"Lungomare Vittorio Emanuele III". According to the tradition of the Milano-Taranto motorcycle rally, all participants had
to stop here and wait for their 'two minutes of fame'. Whether or not it took 2 minutes? Probably less! From the square,
you race down the boulevard to the final finish flag, a distance of app. 700 meters (just under half a mile). The assagitori
were not supposed to join, but my roommate did not take any notice. He pulled open the throttle of his tuned Moto Guzzi, made
a wheelie and overtook the riders which had started before him!! Great and spectacular action! Not long after it was my turn.
I took it easy, speeded up considerably, but kept in mind that after the finish there was not too much asphalt left to use
the breaks :( |
An impression of our invasion in Italy ;-) |
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Preparing for the last sprint on the Taranto boulevard,
'our 2 minutes of fame'. |
Passing the finish for the last time gave an excellent feeling! I was very glad to finish the 2,000 km trip unharmed
and without any technical or mechanical problems. It was my second Milan-Taranto, after my first rally back in 2007.
Achieving a 6th place on my 39 year old bike was great too. The engine of my bike has got some 73.000km's on the speedo.
It did not let me down once. Always firing up with one or two kicks. A perfect motorcycle for such a rally. On the
secondary Italian winding roads, it just handles perfectly. My aim before the start was to achieve a good position in
the final classification. I was more than happy with a 6th place. Competition during Milan-Taranto was serious. One
lesson I learned was that every detail counts if you want to achieve a serious placing in the ranking. If, in the future
I will join again, I know I have to push start the bike and cash in on the 5 points! Also I will have to seriously
practise the special daily effort to win some bonus points.
This is the right place to thank all Dutch riders for their
comradeship during that fantastic week in Italy: Cees/Annet and Jos/Hendrika (sidecar riders) and also Aart, Andries,
Chris, Eric, Erwin, Hans, Jelle, Loek, Marcel, Niels, Thomas, Wim and Rik in de service van. Also I would like to thank
Jaap and Ellen for their perfect organisation in our country. I would also like to thank all the Italians involved.
They have done a superb job organising, managing a 2,000km rally with a 150+ individual riders from many countries.
Special thank you, grazie, to the Italian volunteers. This week would not have been possible without them. At difficult
junctions, they helped up finding the route, the served very tasteful local food and they made us feel welcome in any
possible manner! Finally, I would like to thank all involved officials from local councils, police, etc. Without their
support, this week of excellent motorcycling would not have been possible. Again I concluded Italy is a very hospitable
country, with very friendly and helpful people. In general, they are very enthusiastic towards the classic car and bike
scene. Most likely because they have got such a great car and bike history!
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Final classification 350cc |
MY FINISH IN TARANTO!! |
The real champion: 39 years old, 2nd Milano-Taranto
without problems. Italian quality!! |
Photo album of the
arrival at TARANTO
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