Indonesia's Vesparados
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Vesperados astride their "wasps": once a year, when the countryʹs Vespa fans hold their meet, the town of Kediri in the east of the Indonesian island of Java is shrouded in two-stroke exhaust. Those attending proudly present their own Italian cult scooters, some of which have been pimped beyond recognition -
Greetings from Mad Max: the Vespa nerdsʹ zeal for re-building and re-designing does not stop at the vehicle itself, as can be seen here with their helmets and masks. The somewhat martial appearance of the participants can occasionally make the race seem like a dystopian science fiction film -
Once a Vespa, always a Vespa: to qualify for the Vespa tuning competition on East Java, vehicle conversions are required to preserve some original Vespa features – first and foremost, the engine. Most participants are also keen to preserve the distinctive typical front of the scooter -
A mud bath is a must: the three-day festival in Kediri is the only one of its kind in the country and has will take place for the fourth time in 2019. The highlight, as always, will be a dirt track race and the freestyle vehicle design competition. Whether this is awarded before or after the mud bath is not known -
Horned "wasps": Yogi Hermawan Saifullah and his workshop specialise in converting Vespas. The scooters are supposed to tell stories, says the 28-year-old. He has decorated this scooter with horns in the style of the Toraja people from the Indonesian island of Sulawesi -
All for one and one for all: "we extreme scooter people may be individualists, but we stick together as a community," Julia Ningsih explains on the fringes of the Vespa Festival in Kediri. If there are problems on the road, they help each other until the journey can continue, says the 19-year-old. And there are often problems with the outrageously converted machines... -
Tested for roadworthiness? Hardly... nevertheless, vehicles that are prone to breaking down are generally not cleared to take part. To avoid stress with the traffic police, the Vespas usually only take to the roads around the Kediri Festival at night -
Fortune favours the brave: when the Vesparados venture out on their pimped machines, as at the Kediri Festival, fame and honour awaits them. They are met with envious glances and cries of astonished admiration from spectators lining the roadside