Silvio Sabba and Valerio Boni set a new 24-hour off-road distance benchmark riding a production Ducati Scrambler, clocking 1,462.114 km (908.5 miles) over 1,158 laps on a compact dirt loop at Tenuta Roverbella near Milan.
The previous target of around 650 km (404 mi) fell shortly after midnight; they finished at more than double that figure. Run independently and to Guinness World Records guidelines (validation pending), the effort overcame two punctures, a mandatory 15-minute stop, and a rear-wheel swap before easing the pace to protect the finish.
Italian duo Silvio Sabba and Valerio Boni have set a new personal benchmark for distance covered off-road in 24 hours riding a production Ducati Scrambler. On a compact dirt loop carved inside Tenuta Roverbella, they completed 1,158 laps for a total of 1,462.114 km—comfortably clearing the previous target of around 650 km shortly after midnight and finishing with more than double that figure. The attempt was run independently and in accordance with Guinness World Records guidelines; formal ratification is underway.
How the project came together
The partnership was sparked at the launch of the 70th edition of the Guinness World Records Book in Milan. Silvio Sabba—one of just 57 Guinness Icons globally—has amassed 662 records in 12 years, with 180 still standing. Some were achieved during tapings of Italy’s “Lo Show dei Record.” A former international-level enduro rider, he currently also holds the record for the most people jumped over on a motorcycle (43).
Valerio Boni, a veteran motoring journalist, came to record-breaking more recently. During the Covid months he revisited a 1979 idea—to ride a Vespa 50 for 24 hours for a feature—and discovered that concept matched an existing record by an Australian rider, who had actually covered 13 km less than Boni had done back then. That was the spark: Valerio leaned into 24-hour challenges—starting with a minimoto—and even stepped outside his comfort zone with a left-field feat: the highest average speed on skis on asphalt while towed by a car, snatching the mark from U.S. extreme-sports figure Erik Roner.
Venue plan A… and the scramble to plan B
The machine was straightforward: a Ducati Scrambler Full Throttle (production spec) with a Scrambler Nightshift (also production spec) as backup, both on original tires and supported on site by a mechanic. The venue was the real puzzle. After weeks of scouting, the community of Frinco (Asti) prepared a pristine 800-meter clay loop—only for heavy rain, three days before the off, to turn it into glue. A rapid pivot led to Tenuta Roverbella, east of Milan: roughly 600–650 meters of dirt joined by two tight hairpins. It wasn’t ideal—each lap required slow, near-from-standstill reversals—but it was clean and controllable for an audited attempt.
24 hours, two punctures, and thousands of shifts
The flag dropped at 14:42. The rhythm was steady until a rear-tire gash just under three hours in forced a switch to the reserve bike, observing the mandatory 15-minute stop for non-rapid repairs. Once the wheel was sorted, the pair returned to the main machine. In the small hours, a second puncture struck; a seal-and-inflate can stretched the stint until dawn, when the rear wheel from the backup bike was fitted to the primary. With the record already in the bag soon after midnight, they dialed back the pace to safeguard the finish.
Key numbers
Distance: 1,462.114 km (908.5 miles)
Laps: 1,158 (loop ~1.263 km / 0.785 mi per lap)
24-hour average speed: 60.940 km/h (37.87 mph)
Gearshifts: 14,000+ (roughly one every ~6 seconds, across 24 hours)
Layout: straight of 610 m / 0.38 mi plus two tight hairpins; compacted dirt with ruts and embedded stones.
Quotes
Valerio Boni: “We wanted to show that a production-spec Scrambler on OE tires can handle a genuine endurance challenge on dirt. Distance was never the worry—the real test was the mechanical punishment from bumps and rocks. The numbers tell the story.”
Silvio Sabba: “I brought the ‘explosive’ side of record-breaking and an enduro mindset; Valerio brought the calm grind of 24-hour racing. Between punctures, mandatory stops and those tight hairpins, we built a clean, repeatable mark.”
Compliance (Guinness World Records)
The attempt followed GWR procedures: witness log books, continuous timing, video coverage, GPS tracking, and course measurement certified by a licensed engineer. Documentation has been submitted for validation.
Acknowledgements
Venue support from Tenuta Roverbella and initial track preparation by the Frinco (Asti) community. Bikes were press-fleet production units with on-site mechanical support. References to trademarks are descriptive only; the manufacturer is not a promoter or co-organiser of this record attempt.
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Original post on modernclassicbikes.co.uk and published by Frank Duggan. Frank is the Founder and Editor of Modern Classic Motorcycle News, an independent motorcycle publication covering modern classic motorcycles, roadsters, scramblers, cruisers, electric motorcycles and the wider motorcycle industry.
