ISLE OF MAN SCOOTER RALLY 4TH – 6TH JULY 2008.

I had been looking forward to the Isle of Man scooter rally for months, and Friday morning was soon upon us. Julie and I arranged to meet up with Basher & Sharon (Chosen Few Scooter Crew) at the Ice Ring in Deeside for 9am. When we arrived, there were about 10 scooters from the Nomads, Northern Aces and Chester clubs, we set off soon after and a few scoots had minor issues such as throttle cables and the like. The ride only takes around 45 minutes so we were soon at the dockside in Liverpool, a good sunny morning to have a mill about waiting for the ferry to arrive with the departure set at 11:15am. Due to a very good turnout it took longer to load the ferry and we departed closer to 12 noon. The sailing to the Isle of Man takes around 2½ hours, which gives you plenty of time to spend your money and with the ferry prices of £3.30 for a pint and nearly £5 for a baguette it’s very easy to go through £30.

We docked in Douglas at around 2:30pm and made our way down to the scooters, undoing the straps that hold them down for the crossing. The lower transport deck is closed in by the upper deck ramps so it’s not a good idea to start your engine too soon but once one does it, every seems to panic and before you know it there is a heavy plume of choking two stroke in the compartment. Upper deck unloaded and we start to make our way off the ferry and up the slipway, this is always very noisy but this year was made painful to my ears by an auto GP 50 that sounds more like a chain saw than a scooter.

Once on the quay side we headed straight for the Hilton hotel where we were staying and where the entertainment would be based for the weekend. This hotel is a little confusing as the reception is at the back and we parked up at the front, once we realised our mistake we decided to ride around the back. The pavement in front of the Hilton is as wide as a road and it seemed perfectly acceptable to ride along it and Julie follow behind as all dutiful wives should do…! Unfortunately this piece of riding was spotted by a passing policeman in an unmarked car, not me but Julie was given a stern talking to and I just sat on my scoot trying not to laugh too much. I obviously took this as proof positive that I clearly drove along the pavement with great care and consideration for the pedestrians whereas Julie on the other hand had blasted along without a care for the old ladies trying to get out of her way. After all, the policeman said nothing to me but Julie didn’t see it that way…preferring to use the old nutshell of sex discrimination. Checked in and bags unpacked we made our way to the bar for a drink, at 5pm we collected our wristbands and goodie bags from Barry Turner and his partner Debbie. For £12 you get entry to Friday’s & Saturday’s entertainment, a rally patch and some freebies from Carol Nash insurance. Well worth every penny……

Friday’s entertainment was DJ based playing everyone’s favorites, we turned in fairly early hoping for a nice sunny Saturday and the 37.7 mile TT course ride out.

Saturday morning was miserable with low cloud and rain, after breakfast we made our way to the lobby of the Hilton where many scooterists were discussing the weighty topic of shall we stay or shall we go. Some even commenting that the weather was so severe it was too dangerous to attempt the ride out. I thought that was a bit over the top, what could possibly go wrong…., so me and Julie decided to at least ride up to the start line and take some photos. Once there the topic remained the same as the rain got worse but by 12pm there were around 80 scooters and we decided to do it. I must admit that I questioned my decision and the comments of “too dangerous” rang in my ears when we were up on Sneafell summit some 2000ft above sea level doing around 15 mph because you could not see the scoot in front of you due to very heavy fog. Julie stuck close to the scoot in front and I stuck close to her, using each others brake lights as indication that a bend was coming up. Eventually we began to descend and the fog started to lift only to be replaced by rain. The marshal flagging us into the pub car park was a welcome sight and time for a strong cup of coffee. Everyone was pleased to be off that mountain but even more pleased that they had decided to take part, absolutely drenched through but everyone was in high spirits. At least we all would have something to talk about when we got home…..! It was a pity not more came as the custom show was part of the ride out but some good scoots were there all the same and my favorite was a GP three wheeler. We soon were on our way again with the second part of the ride out and many decided to stop in Peel on the way back, me and Julie continued on back to Douglas. By the time we arrived back at the Hilton the sun was out and because of this, some who stayed behind had come looking for us but going in the opposite direction than we had gone, hoping to meet us at the pub.

After changing out of our wet clothes we headed for the bar and a few pints of Guinness before getting ready for the nights entertainment.
Saturday night was excellent with a live Ska band doing 60’s & 80’s covers; they were so energetic that they blow their amps and had to lend the hotels back up. Barry & Debbie announced the custom show winners half way through, the trophies are excellent a crystal glass plaque that would take pride of place on anyone’s mantel piece. As a small way of thanking Barry & Debbie for their excellent weekend, a t-shirt was presented to them that everyone signed, well done to you both. As the Hilton have many function rooms a wedding reception was taking place the same night and many from the wedding thought our entertainment was better than theirs. Everyone is made welcome on a scooter rally…..! We called it a day at around 1am and made our way back to the room.

Sunday morning’s weather was very clear and sunny and everyone was ready for the return journey, Julie and I had booked a few more days to do some sightseeing so we sat outside the Hilton waving everyone off for their sailing at 3:00pm. Due to technical issues the ferry was delayed by some two hours but due to the fine weather no one seemed to mind the wait. This weekend was excellent and because of it’s location you get to meet some of the Irish scooterists, the N11 Saints SC who had some excellent machines and cleaned up in the custom show and got most attended scooter club.
Anyone who has not been should seriously consider the Isle of Man scooter rally for next year, so start saving those pennies…..

Prud

Custom show results as follows:-

Best standard Vespa – SS180 Reg: ZV 8239 (Ireland)
Best standard Lambretta – LI S1 Reg: 680 NVW
Best custom Vespa – PX200 Colours in Paradise Reg: J366 UVT
Best custom Lambretta – GP Trike Reg: 320 GYH
Best overall – Vespa Lowlight Reg: ZV 91330 (Ireland)
Best turned out club – N11 Saints (Ireland)
Furthest travelled - Joe McClaughlin (230 miles) Southampton
All videos of scooter runs and related items can be found on YouTube by searching for SERVETABOY