On Sunday, August 17, the cognoscenti convened in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, for the 20th time - to celebrate the best that Italy ever offered... on two wheels, that is. And as MGNOC readers should rightfully expect, there were Guzzis galore at this year's Annual IMOC Rally. But first a little background...
The Italian Motorcycle Owners Club (IMOC) is based in Connecticut, with the majority of its members centered in the Northeast. Membership includes six issues of the informative MOTOCICLISTA newsletter (edited by yours truly), along with a Spring Pizza Ride and the Summer Rally - both which have now been joined by an all-new Fall Moto Giro style road tour. IMOC is no doubt the country's oldest recognized club of its type: any and all Italian motorcycles and scooters are welcome! They can be reached at Box 332, Brooklyn, Connecticut 06234. Okay - that's enough of the commercial message...
So, twenty years ago the club decided to host its first event and low and behold, it was a hit. The reasons are many - such as the insatiable appetite of a local and loyal core of enthusiasts for any machine from the land of linguine, a traditionally strong sales base... and thus market penetration... of Italian motorcycles throughout the Northeast. A Rally venue that is geographically in the middle of such major population centers as New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island - and a whole host of other reasons such as a dedicated staff of volunteers, committed local dealer support, etc. And Mother Nature has been supportive of the event as well... on occasion (though I'd better not make her mad more than she was back in August - she'll get even next year, for sure).
And yet despite how damp the idyllic grounds of the Hamilton Rod & Gun Club get, it's now the ancestral home of the annual IMOC Rally - as it is for another Northeast motorcycle tradition - Triumph Day, which is held earlier in the Summer (rained out though this year - but aren't they very used to that in England?). So obviously, the Gun Club's a rather motorcycle -friendly venue, to say the least.
This year's rally drew over 350 enthusiasts who brought some 200 Italian motorcycles, despite the country's worst recorded blackout in history just a few short days prior (centered in the Northeast, as you know). And if that weren't enough, some serious thunderstorms passed throughout the region the night before, and there was a continuing threat of rain all morning long. Figures...
But over 25% of the machines on hand were long-legged Moto Guzzis, and here's what turned out (with quantities of more than one indicated):
One V-700, one Nuovo Falcone, two Eldorados, two 850-Ts, one V-1000 Convert, three SP 1000s, one V50 Monza, one V65C, two 850 LeMans', three LeMans 1000s, one LeMans II, one 650 Lario, one SP III, three 1100 Sports, four Centauros, six EV Californias, one Jackal, one Bassa, one Stone, one California Aluminum, five V11 Sports, one V11 Scura, five V11 LeMans', one Quota and two Brevas.
Of the fourteen marque awards presented, three went to Moto Guzzis:
BEST BIG GUZZI, Russ Glutting, 1974 Eldorado; 2nd BIG GUZZI, Dave Clarke, 1967 V-700; BEST SMALL GUZZI, Margy Avery, 1986 650 Lario.
So as you can see, the IMOC Rally was virtually a Moto Guzzi event in itself - and next year, yours truly will make sure it serves double duty on the Connecticut MGNOC calendar as well.
If you own a Moto Guzzi and live anywhere in the Northeast - like the pilgrims, we hope you can land in Massachusetts next August. See you then...
