Thursday 17th January 1985

Emilio Scotto of Argentina (30), quit his job, jumped on his Honda Gold Wing motorcycle, affectionately named “the black princess”, and with $300 in hand, he headed down the street. Ten years, two months, and 19 days later he returned home to a hero’s welcome, having circumnavigated the planet both clockwise and anticlockwise consecutively, visiting 214 countries and 28 territories. Five things Emilio used en-route: 42,000 litres of gasoline, 9 seats, 12 batteries, 86 tyres, and 700 litres of oil.