Moto Guzzi World Club

[tikkanen]

Ciao,

 

I found this on the Danish Guzzi Club homepage:

 

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Press Release

 

 

MOTO GUZZI WORLD CLUB

“A YEAR TO REMEMBER”

 

 

2004 has been packed with important developments.

 

We glance back at them before preparing for the next 12 months.

 

2004 is closed, so there’s no time like now to look back on the achievements of the Moto Guzzi World Club (MGWC) in its real first year of life.

 

The Moto Guzzi World Club, or MGWC for short, was established in September 2002, during the GMG (Giornate Mondiali Guzzi) meeting. After recognising the first official Moto Guzzi clubs, the MGWC went on to have a busy and productive year, in which an identifiable and personalized patch for every recognised Moto Guzzi Club was produced.

 

But before we delve into the ‘big moments’ of the Moto Guzzi World Club in 2004, let’s have a look at some statistics that give an idea of the scale of the club that has been acclaimed as the ‘Club of Clubs’, a true umbrella organisation covering all Guzzi clubs and, through them, Guzzi riders and enthusiasts the world over. All enthusiasts are beginning to see the MGWC as perfect ticket to the “world of friendship” that binds all Guzzi riders in a genuine brotherhood.

 

CLUB MEMBERSHIP: all Italian Guzzi clubs (and there are 64 of them) have signed up to the MGWC. 26 non-Italian clubs have signed up too and applications are still arriving. Even some clubs of national importance joined us during the course of 2004, including the Moto Guzzi Club of Japan and the Moto Guzzi Club of Denmark.

 

INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP: the first 100 members joined up during the 2003 GMG itself. Since then registrations have rocketed, and the MGWC now boasts around 2800 members. Forecasts for 2005 indicate that the MGWC is likely to continue to grow at an amazing rate, with tens of thousands new Eagles joining our ranks.

 

Further italians inscription, registrations have poured in from all over the world, including Japan, Australia, Brazil, Russia and USA.

 

ACTIVITIES

 

THE MAGAZINE: Aquile, is the official magazine of Moto Guzzi S.p.A., and is distributed to all members of the MGWC. The magazine provides a channel for all MGWC members to express their desires and tell their stories, and acts as a direct link between Guzzi riders and Moto Guzzi. The first three issues of Aquile came out in 2004 and publication will continue as usual in 2005.

 

THE INTERNET SITE: the MGWC’s internet site, www.motoguzziworldclub.com, initiated a section dedicated to local Guzzi clubs in 2004. This section of the main site gives clubs the chance to broadcast their ideas and events to the entire world through customised web pages that they can keep constantly up to date with their hottest news and stories. The website also contains a calendar of international meetings and events that is updated weekly. In addition to this, the MGWC secretariat sends all recognised Guzzi clubs lists of forthcoming events and meetings.

 

TRIPS AND SUPPORT FOR EVENTS: a group of twenty Italian riders set off from Mandello del Lario in February to take part in the Elefantentreffen 2004. They were joined in Munich by our German friends from the World of Guzzi and also picked up many other Guzzi riders from all over Europe on their way. Dozens of Guzzis eventually rode together into the snow and ice of Solla together.

 

Mandello del Lario was also the starting point for the Nord-Sud ride, a 1000 km journey down the length of Italy, organised by the virtual fan club www.moto-guzzi.it. Over 200 bikes took part.

 

And there had to be a track event of course! ‘The Challenge’ was organised by our friends at Anima Guzzista, and in it, Eagles met ‘friendly’ BMWs, Buells and Triumphs on the Adria circuit. The MGWC provided the prizes and mementos for the occasion for all marques taking part.

 

The ‘Regata del Cuore’ charity regatta brought a smile to the faces of disabled children, using money collected from an original sailing race between a team of Guzzi riders and a team of BMW enthusiasts. As a result, a number of lucky kids were given the chance to experience the thrills of their very own sailing holiday. The MGWC not only helped promote the event but also provided the prizes, the Guzzi team’s clothing and a silver plaque for the challengers.

 

The international Stelvio meeting saw the Moto Guzzi World Club welcoming all Guzzi riders and enthusiasts arriving at what, in recent years, has become one of the ‘unmissable’ Stelvio pass events for hardened Guzzi enthusiasts.

 

AGREEMENTS AND BENEFITS: in 2004, Italian Guzzi riders were given the opportunity to benefit from an agreement between the MGWC and insurance company AXA Assicurazioni. Under the terms of this agreement, members can insure bikes more 15 years old at a reduced and extremely competitive rate. Over 1000 members have already taken advantage of this offer. We hope to extend the agreement to other European countries in 2005.

 

To summarise, 2004 was the year in which the Moto Guzzi World Club began its life and established a consolidated reputation for itself by providing coordinated and well-organised support for activities that national and local clubs organise on their own ‘patch’. This was an important objective and we can be proud of how well we have done in reaching it, though of course, we are fully aware of how much more we need to do to support thousands more Moto Guzzi fans all over the world.

 

Mandello del Lario, 1st February 2005

 

 

 

Regards

Søren