Emilio Scotto, Emilio Scotto. A study of Emilio Scotto's Motorcycle Trip.

Emilio Scotto's ten year motorcycle trip, a summary, obtained from all the information I could find. 
Unfortunately there is a lack of specific information on Emilio Scotto's trip in the public arena, other than the media releases, to give us a good picture of his trip.
It is believed that almost all of the obtained information was originally provided by Emilio Scotto to the media.
Over the last couple of years I have approached Emilio Scotto a number of times regarding obtaining a list of the countries he visited, but despite promises and follow up emails no information has yet been forthcoming. There seems to be no list available of the countries, territories, etc, his motorcycle visited, despite a claim to 279 such places in his book. Without such a list anyone can claim anything.
I also approached Guinness World Records regarding my concerns over the record and with a request for a country list. They advised it was not their policy to provide information other than what is published, but I note Emilio Scotto's record is no longer listed on the Guinness World Record web page, and although not personally confirmed, I believe it has not subsequently appeared in their book.

One of the main anomalies that I would like clarified is on the last section of his trip from Canada to Argentina in 1994/5 highlighted in red on the map below.
From February to June 1994 there were three articles written on Emilio Scotto, "La Moto Feb 94" ,   Manhattan Proclamation ,   Niagara Falls Review , (see summary below), which appear consistent in their factuality of number of countries visited to that date and to the number of kilometres covered. From June 1994 till April 1995, a period of ten months, Emilio Scotto is then said to have ridden 155,000 km's (the equivalent distance of almost four circumnavigation's of the world) from 580,000 km to 735,000 km, to finish his trip. From his map, (route highlighted in red), and calculating using a road mapping program the trip would only have constituted 32,000 km's, plus allowances for side trips not fully indicated on his map, but less if what appears to be a flight on his map from Canada to Los Angeles is taken into account. The average road traveller would complete less than 50% more than the straight line road distance on any casual sightseeing world trip. Allowing for this it leaves a likely discrepancy of about 107,000 km's off his total, just for this section? (735,000 - 580,000 = 155,000 distance travelled) (155,000 - 32,000 by road - 50% of 32,000 for side trips  = 107,000 short).

The Niagara Falls Review , on the 9th June 1994 stated "Scotto plans to cover another 170,000 km on his 10 year motorcycle epic for a total of 750,000 km's". As his finishing total was 735,000 km's, (Guinness World Record ) this means he claims to have travelled 155,000 km's on this last section highlighted on the map. This distance is corroborated by the article in La Moto Magazine of Feb 1994 which states "visited 172 countries, in five continents through 565,000 km",  or a distance 15,000 km short of  the Niagara Falls Review article a few months later.

During the same last 10 months of his trip the literature indicates he visited 40 new "countries" (raising the total from 174 to 214, or even 232 in some literature, or 279 in his book), (see summary below). There are only 20 Sovereign countries (recognized by the United Nations), not previously visited by Emilio along this final route, as indicated by his map, Belize, Cuba, Bahamas, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Haiti, St Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, St Lucia, St Vincent, Barbados, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica, Suriname, Guyana, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru and Chile. (A Paraguay visit is not indicated on the map). The remaining 20 "Territories " would almost certainly have been islands in the Caribbean and the Galapagos. Just to visit the 20 Sovereign countries would have required 13 flights or shipping's of Emilio and his motorcycle, as they are islands, and most being tiny with only small distances of roads on each island. Add to this the extra 20 shipping's to the 20 other Territory Islands to make up the 214 countries and territories claimed in total. To cover 155,000 km's in ten months, (300 days), required 516 km's ridden on the motorcycle for each and every day, even whilst shipping, repairs, doing logistics, clearing customs, crossing borders, and riding on tiny islands. Quite an amazing feat? and where did the other places that make up to 232 or 279 come from? A list would certainly help identify what is claimed. Other people doing such events want to publish lists of their achievements, Most  Travelled Peoples List , Travellers' Century Club , Longest Driven Journey , the question is why hasn't Emilio Scotto? A recently missed opportunity presented itself with his new book, but instead of a country list, this latter part of his trip was almost ignored in his writings?

There are other less obvious apparent discrepancies between the map and the list of countries visited as outlined in some of the articles referenced here.

I would be pleased if further information could be made available to repudiate my concerns or to correct any mistakes in this article. Please email me any such information or your comments to forwoodp@yahoo.com

Thank you
Peter Forwood

Last section highlighted in red
 Last ten month trip in red



Dates                   Events                                 Information Source     Km's Covered        Route Taken, Countries, [repeats], (other places)
           1980 Purchased new 1100 Goldwing   Honda Red Riders Mag 2003  
                         for $15,000 US when 25 yr old   Durban Daily News

           1984    Travelled before trip began       Honda Red Riders Mag 2003    48,300 km's            
       
           1985    Planning                                         "La Moto Feb 94"                                       Planned to visit 172 countries and 770,000 km's (observed an
                                                                                                                                                increase in countries between 1985 and 1994 to 215 countries)
                                     
17 Jan 1985    Start of trip in Argentina                 "La Moto Feb 94"                55,000 km's     Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Venezuela                                                                Speedometer returned to zero           "La Moto Feb 94"                          0 km's    Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El
                                                                                                                                                Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico

                       Engine repair                                 "La Moto Feb 94"                66,000 km's      U.S.A., Canada.
       
   Dec 1986                                                         "La Moto Feb 94"                                         West Germany, Switzerland, Italy, San Marino, Vatican,
                                                                                                                                                Monaco, France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, [Spain],  
                                                                                                                                                [France], Great Britain, Ireland, (Scotland), [France],
                                                                                                                                                Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands, [West Germany],
                                                                                                                                                Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Poland, East Germany,
                                                                                                                                                [West Germany], [Switzerland], Liechtenstein, [Italy], Austria,
                                                                                                                                                Hungary, Yugoslavia, Rumania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece,
                                                                                                                                                [Italy]

  Apr 1988     Start of African section                    "La Moto Feb 94"                                        Tunisia, Libya, [Tunisia],  Algeria, Niger, Burkina
                                                                                                                                                 Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea
                                                                                                                                                 Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Liberia, Ivory Coast, (Desire)
                                                                                                                                                 Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Guinea Equatorial,
                                                                                                                                                 Gabon, Congo Zaire, Namibia, South Africa,

7 Jan 1989          South Africa Visit                       Durban Daily News          155,000 km         69 Countries already visited out of a total 174 planned
                                                                                                                                                 Book written? Behind the Horizon, for release late 1989.

                                                                              "La Moto Feb 94"                                      Lesoto, Swaziland, Mozambique, [South Africa], Botswana,
                                                                                                                                                (Transkei), (Ciskei), (Boputhswana), Zimbabwe, Zambia,
                                                                                                                                                Malawi, Tanzania, Madagascar, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya

                            Kenya Visit                                 Kenya Times                  200,000 km        84 Countries already visited, Kenya is the 42nd country
                                                                                                                                                visited in Africa                                                         

                                                                               "La Moto Feb 94"                                    Somalia, (The United Gowein), Emirates Arabes, Qatar, Bahrein,
                                                                                                                                               Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, North Yemen, South Yemen, Djibouti,
                                                                                                                                               Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, (Sinai), Jordan, Syria, Iraq, [Jordan],
                                                                                                                                               Lebanon, Israel, [Egypt], [Libya], [Tunicia], [Italy].

   Apr 1990                                                              "La Moto Feb 94"                                   [Spain], [France], [Monaco], [Italy].

                           New Engine                                  "La Moto Feb 94"        387,500 km         [Spain], [France], [Monaco], [Italy], Malta, [Italy], [Greece]
                                                            Honda Red Rider Mag 2003           458,850 km?       [Turkey], Cyprus, [Turkey], Iran, Pakistan, India, Nepal,
                                                                                                                                              (Tibet), [Nepal], [India], (Sikim), Bangladesh, [India],
                                                                                                                                              Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, [Malaysia],
                                                                                                                                              [Singapore], Brunei, [Singapore], Srilanka, Maldives,
                                                                                                                                              [Singapore], Indonesia, Australia, Papúa, (New Guinea),
                                                                                                                                              [Australia], New Zealand, (New Caledonia), Vanuatu,
                                                                                                                                              Solomon Islands, Nauru, Kiribati, Fiji, Tuvalu, [Fiji], (Layer) ,
                                                                                                                                              (American Samoa), West Samoa, [Fiji], (Cook Islands),
                                                                                                                                              (Tahiti).

   Jul 1992                                                               "La Moto Feb 94"      515,000 km's?      [U.S.A.], (North Pacific) (Perhaps it was 415,000 km's)

        1992          Hawaii                                         "Little Amy"                  468,510 km         142 Countries visited,  (Hawaii), Marshal Islands and
                                                                                                                                             westward, stated he had  72 countries (214 total) and
                                                                                                                                             225,000 km, yet to travel, about  700,000 km total)

26 Jan 1993        Philippines                                   Business World                                       Philippines, Vietnam
2 Mar 1993         China                                 South China Morning Post    480,000 km        152 Countries visited (7 continents, yet not having visited
                                                                                                                                             ?Antarctica) with 63 to visit of the worlds 215 total and
                                                                                                                                             224,000 km to go or 704,000 in total
                                                                                                                                            70,000 photos taken (or 24 photos a day)
                                                                                                                                           (India in 1991)                
   
   Jun 1993                                                       "La Moto Feb 94"                                        Japan, China, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan.  

   Nov 1993                                                      "La Moto Feb 94"                                       Finland, plans to visit 40 more countries and 170,000 km's
                                   
   Feb 1994                                                      "La Moto Feb 94"             565,000 km's      172 Countries already visited, shook the hand of  560,000
                                                                                                                                            people (170 people each and every day for nine years, 11 an
                                                                                                                                            hour for each hour awake).

27 May 1994      New York                         Manhattan Proclamation                                  174 Countries already visited with a plan to visit 232
                                                                                                                                           Planning to visit Canada, USA, Caribbean and Latin
                                                                                                                                           America

9 Jun  1994         Niagara Falls                     Niagara Falls Review           580,000 km's      174 Countries already visited
                                                                                                                                           Angola, Oman and Bhutan not visited on trip
                                                                                                                                          Sierra Leone  visited
  
17 Feb 1995       Buenos Aires                               La Nacional                                         Planing to arrive 1/4/95 having visited 215 countries and
                                                                                                                                         750,000 km and 100,000 Photos (or 26 photos a day)

2  Apr 1995        Finished in Argentina                  Bernd Tesch                732,800 klm's    232 Countries
                                                                   Guinness World Records       735,000 klm's    214 Countries and Territories
                                                                    Emilio Scotto Biography                                214 countries and 28 Territories
                           Further reading in Spanish           Moto Mundo                                                  
                           Recent articles               Honda Red Rider Mag 2003     780,850 km's   232 Countries, Islands, Colonies,   No Atolls and
                                                                                                                                         independent countries, 99% of world land
                                                                                                                                         mass, 9 nations missed incl North Korea, 90,000 photos or
                                                                                                                                         24 each and every day, 55 Countries in Africa visited in two
                                                                                                                                         years

Note. Likely countries not visited.  

Red Rider Mag 2003  stated "His journey came to a close with a mere nine nations remaining on the to do list"     North Korea, 
was accepted as not having been visited by motorcycle.
Niagra Fall Review stated "Angola, Oman and Bhutan did not allow him to enter"
On his route map: (above)   Paraguay, Cape Verde, Sao Tome and Principe, Cambodia, CAR, Eritrea,  are not shown as being visited.
As a country can't be considered to have been visited if it didn't exist at the time of the visit: Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Boznia & Herzegovina
were visited prior to devolution, a region Emilio visited before 1988 when the area was Yugoslavia.                                                             
Two countries were not in existence at time of his trip:   East Timor, Montenegro

As it is generally considered, (see below) that there are 193 countries in the world, the maximum number of internationally recognized countries that Emilio Scotto visited would be 193 less the above 14 countries or 179 countries. The remainder in the claim of either 214, 232, or 279, likely refer to territories, islands, atolls or other entities.

There are 192 United Nations member nations  plus the Holy See (Vatican City) which is listed as the only non-member state.

The American CIA Factbook (Notes and Definitions under Entities) states there are 194 Independent States. The 192 United Nations members plus the Holy See (The Vatican) and Kosovo (whose statehood is not currently recognized by the United Nations). 

According to Wikipedia there are: "193 states with general international recognition: 192 member states of the United Nations (UN). 1 state with general international recognition but not UN membership, governed by the Holy See (a UN permanent observer): Vatican City".

The Guinness World Records people stated that “Unfortunately we no longer maintain such a (country) list ourselves because there is so little agreement on this subject internationally that virtually everyone disagreed with our list anyway!.....Rather than become involved in endless debates on this subject we've decided to 'freeze' the records in this category. At present when we refer to countries we mean the member states of the United Nations (i.e. sovereign countries), but do not get involved in the 'territories' debate.”

Further clarification is required on the countries of Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan as it appears they didn't exist during Emilio's visit to the region.
His book seems to indicate that  Afghanistan was not visited on Page 156.