Penulis
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| One of the members of that legendary Piaggio Racing Team Number 94 |
At 18, he lived in Rome and worked in Luciano Moroni's mechanical workshop. His job was to transform the British Norton, Triumph military motorcycles into civilian vehicles. BSA and Matchless recovered in the Aversa depot set up by the Ministry of Reconstruction specifically to facilitate the recovery of the remnants of the Great War. Repairing and testing bodies and engines was his job but speed was his great passion . "At that age I was really a kid - he says - a short type, frail physique, skinny, 42 kg in weight". Small stature, powerful fibers, a slender and tough build from featherweight to the top of form: his winning weapons. Moroni, one with a far-reaching gaze, immediately senses it. "Giuseppe, your ideal vehicle is Piaggio's Vespa. How small are you, who stops you on top of that?" . So when a Vespa to be repaired arrived at the workshop, Giuseppe asked the owner for permission to use it for the race at Lido di Ostia, organized by Luigi di Gennaro, the first Vespa dealer in Lazio. He thus participated in his first competition and, despite being equipped with a touring Vespa, he finished in second place, beating expert riders riding real competition Vespas.
Born in Rome to a Sardinian family, but a native of Pontedera by adoption, as a boy Giuseppe worked in a mechanic’s workshop in the capital. “I was 18, rather short and scrawny, weighing just 42 kilos,” he tells us. And that was his secret of his success: “Because you’re so small, the Vespa is just right for you,” people told him.
who had a passion for engines and speed, became an extraordinary racing driver, the winner of the 1951 “International Six Days” (gold medal) and of dozens of other races on Vespa scooters. His victories led him to Piaggio, where he worked in the area of technical assistance and with the acrobatics team. “We travelled all over Europe, putting on displays that a circus athlete would have been proud of,” Giuseppe says. “Legs in the air, curled up on the luggage rack, balancing on the handlebars… No one ever taught us, we learned all the tricks by ourselves.” Giuseppe Cau continues to act as Vespa “ambassador” today, attending rallies and events around the world. An authentic “legend” in the international world of Vespa, with books about his story and racing career.
Last year, on the occasion of the Vespa’s 70th anniversary, the Busdraghi dealer in Pontedera dedicated a Vespa “Super Cau” to Giuseppe, giving the two-wheeler champion the honour of seeing his name associated with a special limited Vespa PX edition identified by his triumphant race number (94). They say that a Vespa changes your life: “It’s true,” says Giuseppe, “I fell in love with the scooter at first sight and thanks to the Vespa found work and fortune, travelling all over the world and making thousands of friends. All of them passionate Vespa lovers like me.” And this year, in a richly deserved tribute, Wide magazine dedicates this photoshoot to him with the Vespa Sei Giorni scooters, past and present!