As I snicked my Quattrini-kitted Eibar into first gear and pulled away from home in a cloud of blue smoke, I was busy working out just how many years it was since my first scooter ride to Scarborough.
It’s not easy trying to do complicated mathematics with winter gloves on but I managed to get to 35 years without having to take my boots off. That’s a long time for something many of our parents saw as a passing phase, maybe we’ll still grow out of it…
Despite being big in numbers, our group made it the 100 miles to Scarborough with nothing more than a broken plug cap to worry about. We parked up on the pavement outside the Not So Grand Hotel with a hundred or so other scooters, even the friendly traffic warden gave us his blessing. With scooters chained up safely and with an ‘anti-seagull’ cover on, we headed across the road to check into the tacky Travel Lodge. A place where we’d be spending the weekend walking on threadbare carpets and looking out onto a brick wall. Luckily the pubs were calling and we’d soon get over spending £220 (plus breakfast) for the ‘pleasure.’
Basketcase
Alcohol was quickly consumed and friends were reacquainted with, including a large contingent of French scooter lads who had ridden there.
We pub-crawled down the hill and across the beautiful grade 2 listed Cliff Bridge towards the Spa – home to the weekend’s entertainment. Basketcase were already banging out the crowd pleasers on stage when we got into the do, all done in a ‘Some like it hot’ theme. They never fail to impress or fill a dancefloor.
The Spa is a huge sprawling venue with four bars, a café, a main room, soul room and a Darkside room located in the space between the two. It’s a great venue but is spread out so you tend to end up wandering around looking for friends, your favourite type of music, or even just looking for a chill-out space for a chat. You can find them all though if you look hard enough. Friday night was a great night though, as they usually are when everybody is still fresh.
Help the aged
I do think organisers will soon have to start looking at the geography of future rally towns and start considering the advancing age of rallygoers (maybe the flatlands of Lincolnshire will be better in years to come). As I sprinted back up the hill to town after the do finished the elderly and infirm were moaning about the steps and slope. Their creaky knees, dodgy hips and gasping lungs were unable to take the strain as weary bodies were dragged back to hilltop hotels on the cheap end of town. People staying in the posh end of town could use the funicular train to get them back to their clifftop abodes.
Young blood
Talking of age, there are certainly a fair few younger scooter boys and girls coming through at the minute. They’re mostly riding geared scooters, dressing in combats, cut-offs and denim jackets and a couple were even spotted sporting grass skirts. History is indeed repeating itself and it’s good to see. If you’re a young scooterist and are worried about having friends of your own age on scooter rallies just get yourself there, you’ll love it. A while ago ‘The Young Guns’ were the club for youngsters, followed by Prodigy SC but most of them are approaching middle age now. Luckily ‘Rack & Ruin’ have arrived to gather the limbs of a few newcomers to the scene and they seem to be growing in numbers.
Chocka block
Saturday arrived and so did more sunshine. That sunshine brought with it lots and lots of scooters. In fact, the town was heaving by lunchtime. The access road to the Spa was chocka block as people made their way down to the venue for the parts fair and custom show. The queue for the door stretched so far that people at the end of it were seen eating Whitby fish and chips.
More customs
It always surprises me just how few custom show entrants there are for the Easter rallies. I know it’s a full day stuck in a venue rather than the pub for anybody showing a scooter but it would be nice to see more custom owners entering. Even so, what was on show (around 35 or so scooters) was pretty good. You can see most of them and plenty of outside shots in the gallery above.
Sweet Harmony
The star of the show for many was a brand-new full-blown custom Lambretta. Emma Wilson’s Sweet Harmony ticked lots of boxes, big ones, small ones… The dance-inspired Lambretta had a theme many scooterists can relate to and it made a nice change from the usual ska/soul-themed machines. The paintwork was lovely and there are plenty of hidden bits and pieces to spot; inside the toolbox door for instance, the Mitsubishis on the frame loop and plenty of other souvenirs of a misspent (or well-spent) youth. I heard many a comment about that scary-looking fuel cap though! The scooter deservedly won Best of Show and Punter’s Choice. I think the owner should have got a trophy for ‘Best Dancer’ in the Darkside room later that night! If you missed it, you can see the scooter up close at ScooterExpo in Alfreton on May 21st.
Local wildlife
Having seen what I needed to see down at the show it was time to fight my way through the crowds and head back to town to enjoy another laughter-filled afternoon, which soon turned into a drunken evening. We managed to stay out of the busiest pubs for the whole day and took over The Courtyard where the local gulls left their mark on more than one occasion!
Northern Coal
Smoove and Turrell were Saturday night’s band and I made a point of getting down to the Spa to see them for the first time. Their ‘Northern Coal Music’ tagline is bang on, they’re a good tight band with incredible coalful vocals. The crowd never seemed to get behind them properly, which was a shame. That’s the danger with a band singing original songs to an audience who are mostly set in their tribute act ways I suppose.
The spread-out layout of The Spa also contributed to a diluted main room and after the band finished it emptied pretty quickly. Sometimes less is more. One room of mixed music can create a better atmosphere but invariably leads to people complaining that they want more soul etc. It’s hard to please everybody and organisers rarely win.
Lambretta Chopper Book 2 – Teenage Cancer Trust
During Saturday evening those hard-working lads from Lambretta Choppers UK handed over a cheque for a massive £12,109. This was cash raised by sales of their excellent Lambretta Chopper Book 2 and various raffles that have been held over the last few months.
More charity donations!
In addition, Howard and friends raised another £2500 in memory of his goddaughter who sadly died from leukaemia. Both cheques were presented to Vince Wooloff by Paul Muirhead and the Lambretta Chopper lads to go towards his chosen Oddballs Scooter Rally Teenage Cancer Trust charity.
Massive well done to all involved.
Alarm call
6 am on a cold and misty Sunday morning isn’t the best time for a fire alarm, especially after a heavy night. Evacuating the hotel in our pyjamas we were surprised to see we were the first ones out. I was even more surprised that there were probably only 30 people outside in total. The 200 or so other guests seemingly perished inside (luckily for them it was actually a false alarm).
The ride home on Sunday was uneventful but enjoyable, despite being surprisingly cold for the first 60 miles. We were on the sofa at a decent time for an afternoon nap and evening takeaway. These scooter rallies take it out of you!
Thanks
I’d like to thank all the VFM crew and helpers for putting on a great weekend of entertainment. I’d also like to thank everybody we rode with, and had a drink and a laugh with over the weekend. Next stop Weston-Super-Mare…
Words: Iggy
Photos: Booga and Iggy
Drone shot: Elevated Yorkshire
Patch of honour
The scooter rally anoraks out there will know what the link is between the Paddy Smith from Morecambe 1983 and the Scarborough 2023 patch (made by Crusader Promotions).
This Easter was the 40th Anniversary of Paddy Smith’s first square rally patch, a souvenir that would become legendary and will keep Paddy’s name alive for many years to come. Daz at Crusader recreated the square patterned background design in tribute to the late Paddy Smith. A lovely tribute. You can read more about the history of the Paddy Smith patch here.
SLUK Merchandise
Buying from the SLUK Shop helps to fund ScooterLab. One of the best ways you can support what we do is to buy the plastic products we make and to wear our merchandise. On the merch side, we have a growing range of products, from t-shirts and hoodies to softshells.
Visit the SLUK Shop here.
