The creative genius of Piaggio's engineers, which had led to the appearance of the first Vespa on Italian roads in 1946, was confirmed a few months later by the emergence of a real jewel from the experimental division of the Pontedera workshops.

The Vespa 98 Corsa was built with the specific objective of showing the world that a small scooter could be extremely competitive on the circuit. The "silver swarm" of Vespas that had taken over Italian roads and piazzas inspired Enrico Piaggio to produce a vehicle with an "aggressive" design that would race to win.

The Vespa 98 Corsa (Circuit) was hence built for speed in the races of its category and represented a concentration of innovative ideas to be tried out on standard production. It mounted the steering column and suspension on the right, a solution that would be applied to the Vespa 125 from 1948 on. The body was handbuilt on a steel frame. The brakes were drums; the rear had an air intake for cooling. It had the three-speed gear with the lever on the handlebar. Cooling was through forced air, ignition through a flywheel magneto with an internal coil. The clutch had multiple steel disks in a wet sump. The carburettor was a 17 mm Dell'Orto. The vehicle's original colour was red. It was a little “meteor" to dream with and inspire dreams on in those first few Vespa years.



TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

2-stroke single cylinder engine with cast iron horizontal cylinder and aluminium head

Bore: 50 mm - Stroke: 50 mm - Displacement: 98 cc

Top speed: about 100 km/h

Suspension: coil springs and calipers shock absorber on the front wheel, leaf spring on the rear wheel

Brakes: drums

Tyres: Pirelli of the “corsa” type, 3.50-8"

This first fabulous race Vespa was conceived for participation in various circuit races. With it, Piaggio dealers could enter their participation in speed contests. The Vespa in fact took part in several gradient and track races, with many victories in the scooter category, among which the Naples Grand Prix in 1947 and the chronograph climb at Rocca di Papa (Rome).

The Vespa 98 Corsa's form derived from the standard production model, but it had a much smaller, bubble-shaped shield and small handlebars. The horn was taken off the steering column cover and the seat is placed far back, so that the rider had to stretch to reach the handlebars. The rear brakes were also retracted to suit the rider's elongated, aerodynamic position.

The engine casing, a fundamental aspect of the vehicle, had small openings for better ventilation. The front mudguard was very small. The steering column was strengthened. The suspension had two coil springs. The rear suspension was directly above the engine support arm. The engine had no starter switch and the crankcase was cut at the point at which the engine start lever would have been placed to give the scooter more incline on curves.

It had a three-speed change, the 17-mm carburettor was the sport type with an intake cornet, and there was a direct "megaphone" exhaust.



TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

2-stroke single cylinder engine with cast iron horizontal cylinder and aluminium head

Bore: 50 mm - Stroke: 50 mm - Displacement: 98 cc

Top speed: about 80 km/h

Suspension: spiral springs on the front wheel, leaf spring on the rear wheel

Brakes:drums

Tyres: 3.50-8"

In the 1950s and early 1960s, Vespa and Lambretta scooters were raced competitively against motorcycles, often winning the races. In the mid 1960s, motorcycle engines became larger and faster, and a gap was created—along with varying cc classifications. Since the 1980s, Vespa and Lambretta racing has grown into a serious sport in the United States. There are various classes in the United States, depending on the racing association. They are generally: