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On the weekend of the Red Bull Grand Prix in San Marino and the Rimini Riviera, it wasn't only the engines of the Moto3, Moto2, and MotoGp racers that were the stars. Not far away, in the picturesque setting of the Republic of San Marino, a whole different kind of motorsport challenge was taking place with Marc Marquez and Tony Arbolino.
Two very talented riders were called to give their best in a competition on wheels, under the banner of speed, aerodynamics, technical ingenuity, and responsiveness. But also, and, above all, the desire to put themselves on the line and not take themselves too seriously.
Marquez and Arbolino, in fact, didn't have at their disposal the ultratechnological prototypes of the MotoGPs, but, surprisingly, they battled on an Apecar, a Ciao, and a Vespa: three iconic vehicles of the youth of many generations of Italian motorcyclists. And, in the best popular tradition, all the vehicles had been appropriately pimped to achieve incredible performance.
The two riders were accompanied by wakeboard champion Massimiliano Piffaretti - for the occasion, in his unusual role as presenter - as they ventured on the vehicles and crazy challenges among the streets and squares of San Marino.
The legendary Ciao scooter was the star of the first challenge, during which Marquez and Arbolino had to become familiar with the vehicle and its pedals, therefore, achieving the longest wheelie. At this first lap, the victory went to the Italian, but this only ignited the competition between the two. In fact, it was the six-time World Champion who dominated the second challenge: a gymkhana on a Vespa, while holding a spoon with an egg in his mouth.
But it was the last challenge that decreed the overall winner: riding an Apecar, Tony Arbolino and Marc Marquez improvised a timed pizza delivery, slaloming through the city streets, with the added difficulty of attempting not to drop the boxes of pizza.
The 24-year-old Italian from Garbagnate Milanese triumphed over his opponent, taking the victory and flying the tricolor high in his home challenge."It was really fun," Tony Arbolino commented at the end of the race. "But also difficult, because we did something very different than our usual routine. The challenge I enjoyed the most was the one with the Ape, because it's really an Italian thing. We have it in our blood, and that's why I gave it my all. I absolutely had to win."
Marc Marquez was also satisfied, and he commented on his day on the streets of San Marino: "It was my first time here in San Marino, and I think it's an absolutely fantastic place for tourism! These stone buildings remind me of my town. We had so much fun today in the three challenges. My favorite was the egg-spoon race with the Vespa."
