With this year’s FIM Enduro Vintage Trophy (EVT) covering some of the same ground as used in the 1985 International Six Days Enduro (ISDE), for several riders returning to the Catalonian Pyrenees is proving to be a trip down memory lane. One of those riders who raced the ISDE back in 1985 is Italian legend Giorgio Grasso.
“I was at the ISDE in 1985, with the Italian team, but in the Junior,s” explained Grasso at the end of the first day’s acceleration test. “I was part of the Maglia Azzurra. I was racing with a GILERA 250 and on the second day, or the third, I don’t remember too well now, I broke the chain in the special test. That ruined the final result, which otherwise could have been good. I won two days overall and I remember that it was a beautiful race. It was quite a difficult race, technical, with some nice special test, a really nice ISDE. It’s nice to be back here.”
As well as enjoying his time back in Spain, Grasso also means business when it comes to this year’s event, competing as part of the Italian Trophy team together with Tulio Pellegrinelli and Enrico Tortoli. Winners at last year’s EVT in Portugal, Grasso and his team mates are ready for the challenge, and are flying the flag for Italy together with many other riders.
“From what I’ve seen the special tests look very good here, and all of the Italian riders are ready for the first full day of riding. There are a lot of riders from Italy, which is great to see. I guess you can say that in Italy enduro, especially vintage, is a big thing. Then Spain, which is a beautiful country, it's not too far away, so there are many of us Italians ready have a good race and have fun together.
“I’m racing a different motorcycle to last year, I’m racing with a Kramer 250 that is older than the bike I used last year, so I’m in a different category. The motorcycle is fine, we have worked on it enough with the team. Now it’s up to us riders to try and repeat our victory from last year.”
FIM Communications