Italy already boasts a rich motorcycling history matched by very few countries. From Benelli’s early days to Francesco Bagnaia capturing the 2022 MotoGP Championship aboard a Ducati, keeping track of the boot-shaped country’s contribution to motorcycling is no easy feat. To preserve each historic moment for future generations to enjoy, the Italian Motorcycle Federation (FMI) instituted the FMI Historical Archive.
The program specifically aims to catalog images and videos from watershed moments, events, and records in Italian motorcycling history. Once the archivists reach the modern era, FMI will update the database on a regular basis. After all, Italians are constantly rewriting motorcycle history.
“The creation of the FMI Historical Archive represents an incomparable opportunity to spread our motorcycling culture,” asserted FMI President Giovanni Copioli. “We strongly believe in this project, which we make available to our members, allowing them to consult freely. The FMI Historical Archive enhances our past but looks to the future: we will be able to organize events, exhibitions and conferences dedicated to all eras of motorcycling. This is an ongoing initiative of which we have laid the foundation stone today and which over time will assume an invaluable value.”
In addition to the 36 videos and more than 70,000 images currently comprising the Historical Archive, FMI also offers access to 178 MotoItalia issues. History buffs can utilize the vast inventory of photos, videos, and magazines with an FMI membership and a MyFMI online account.
“At a technological level it is certainly an easily usable solution for those interested, who will be able to view all the material by discovering or rediscovering the history of the FMI and motorcycling in Italy,” explained FMI advisor Francesco Mezzasalma. “A job that requires great resources from a human point of view and time but which can give great satisfaction to lovers of all our disciplines.”
As digital platforms evolve over the next decade, curating the FMI Historical Archive will be more important than ever. Italy certainly has a rich motorcycling history, but the country will only build upon those foundations in the years to come.
