Another glorious sunny day in August brought a fantastic turnout to the Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum, with over 510 motorcyclists arriving to celebrate Italian Day. From early morning, volunteers were kept on their toes parking the steady stream of bikes, while Sammy’s Pit Stop Café and the Courtyard Catering Cabin served a constant flow of visitors all day.
Exhibitors included Ducati Bournemouth. Tom from the team commented:
“This is always a good event with a great atmosphere. We’re delighted to be here with Ducati.”
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His colleague Dan added:
“We’re massive fans of Sammy and what he does for the motorcycle community locally. It’s a pleasure to be here, surrounded by stunning machines and like-minded enthusiasts.”
Deardens Motorcycles, based just 20 miles away in Hardley, also joined the day. Nigel from the dealership said:
“We love being part of these events. It’s a great venue, with a fantastic café and a world-class collection of special bikes right on our doorstep.”
The event also welcomed Jim Dakin, President of the MV Agusta Owners Club. At 94 years old, Jim is handing over many of his responsibilities to his nephew, but still attended with his MV works machine. Jim recalled:
“I believe I raced against Sammy back in the 1958 Dutch TT, where I finished 17th as a privateer. My MV has a magnesium engine, five-speed gearbox and double overhead camshaft – a special bike with a fascinating history.”
Amongst the many international visitors, one museum guest stood out: a rider on a 1972 Moto Guzzi, who had travelled from Italy through France and Ireland, visiting Dublin and the Isle of Man before riding into the New Forest to visit the museum. He described the Museum as:
“Just amazing – the best motorcycle museum I have visited. It’s almost too much to take in, and to arrive here on Italian Day was a wonderful surprise.”
As always, a large crowd gathered to hear Workshop mechanic Jim, alongside fellow expert John Ring, bring the Museum’s collection to life as the pair fired up three of its iconic machines.
Moto Villa 1969, 4 Cylinder 250cc with Square Four layout. Designed by the great brothers Walter and Francesco Villa. Unfortunately, in the 1970’s the FIM changed the rules for the 250cc Grand Prix bikes to Twin Cylinder and six speed Gearboxes so the \villa was banned before it could win!
Gilera 1957 4 Cylinder 500cc Double \overhead \cam, Four \Speed Gearbox. One of the great Italian bikes as raced by Geoff Duke and Bob McIntyre. A multi winning world championship bike owned by the Museum Trust.
Bicylindical V Twin 1950 500cc twin cylinder racing bike, an icon of racing Moto Guzzi’s. 4 speed with leading link front forks, swinging arm rear suspension racer, with inboard suspension unit. Raced by Bob Foster and Stanley Woods in the TT and most of the European GPs.
Prizes awarded on the day included:
Oldest Bike Ridden In: 1952 Moto Guzzi 250cc
DocBike Favourite Choices:
First Prize Benelli, Gold / Crimson frame
Second Prize Ducati 750 Sport, Orange
Italian Day once again proved to be one of the Museum’s most popular themed events, with motorcycles, clubs, trade stands and visitors all combining to create a truly special celebration of Italian motorcycling heritage.
Check it out: https://sammymiller.co.uk/
