Laverda 70th Anniversary Year

Laverda's 70th Anniversary Year

Land Speed Record

2019, being the 70th Anniversary of Laverda Motorcycles, was a grand occasion for Angus Parish to set a Land Speed Record on March 5th (his 30th birthday) for Production Classic 500cc Class Motorcycles piloting a 1977 Laverda 500 (*1652) Alpina on the Salt at Lake Gairdner.

This was the first time in the world that a Laverda had attempted a Land Speed Record on a Dry Salt Lake.  Complete with indicators and standard lights as per Laverda production it created a lot of interest to see just what a motorcycle blue-printed to Laverda specification could achieve.

A commentary of this record is published in the book MOTOS LAVERDA LES MOTOS MYTHIQUES DE BREGANZE (The Mythical Motorcycles of Breganze 1949-2019) by Jean-Louis Olive. It was the fastest speed attained by a production Laverda 500 in history.

 Laverda Forum

25 days later on March 30 another record claim was posted on the Laverda Forum website by a prominent Laverda personality from Queensland (Australia). In responding to observations concerning engine damage caused from poor or no air filtration he claimed to have achieved 0% Engine Leak Down for his Laverda powered race bikes after racing for 4 years without air filters.

It was well known that the two race bikes mentioned had suffered catastrophic engine failure during that 4 year period.

When questions were raised concerning the veracity of the post the Queenslander chose not to substantiate his claim but instead rallied his supporters to defend for him while he remained silent in the background. The enquirer was bullied, aggressively harassed and maligned online and off.  The foul language and offensive comments posted online by members from Queensland were immediately removed from the Laverda Forum by the Moderator.  Threats of violence against the enquirer resulted in legal action being taken against the founder of Laverda Owners Victoria group.

An international Political Media Cartoonist drew a satirical cartoon lampooning those involved in the abusive campaign.

Rumours and hearsay of the incident divided the Laverda community worldwide. 

Celebrations in Italy

At home in Victoria in July 2019 a number of former Laverda Club Victoria members and some riders from Laverda Owners Victoria social group travelled to Italy for the official rally and International 70th Anniversary Celebrations of Laverda held in its hometown of Breganze Italy. This was a major event for the marque and Australia was well represented. Some had shipped their bikes to Europe, some via England, to tour the European continent to Italy and take their bikes to visit their machines' place of birth. During the rally Piero Laverda announced to great acclaim the release of a new  Laverda book La Diva, Laverda 750. The rally was said to be the largest gathering of Laverda enthusiasts in the history of the small Italian village.

Rides and Races

Throughout the 70th Anniversary year local weekday country rides became more frequent and racing continued with riders again entering their Laverda into the Geelong Speed Trials, the BEARS races at Phillip Island and in conjunction with the Australian Road Race Championships at Broadford Raceway of which DAM Classic Racing was the regular Race-Name Sponsor.

Groups of Laverda club members from every State in Eastern Australia travelled to Broadford to watch the final round of the combined BEARS Championship race series and interclub event on November 9th and 10th 2019. It was a major event and an opportunity for members to see Laverdas from QLD, NSW and Victoria racing on the track at the same time and to celebrate a Laverda winning another Championship for the history books. Reserved accommodation was made available at the circuit and the contingent of Laverda motorcycles rolling into the carpark created quite a spectacle. Old friendships were once again rekindled under the banner of shared experiences of Laverda ownership.