After a weekend off from rallying, I’m set up to head off to Abingdon for the 10th anniversary Oddballs rally.
As always, my plans aren’t as straightforward as I’d like them to be, and this time it’s the small but important point of an MOT. Booked for 4 pm on the Friday, I have to wait before I can head off.
This place is full of Oddballs…
We may be lost
MOT done, and off I go, it’s a straightforward ride up the A34 until Google Maps takes me off the main road and through a bunch of picturesque but 20 MPH villages. Swearing at my phone has no effect, and I have no choice but to follow the route. No idea where I am, and just as I start to accept my sat nav fate, I recognise the traffic lights (helped by a big ‘Oddballs rally this way’ sign) near the rugby club where the rally is being held, albeit from the opposite direction. Sat nav one, Booga nil!
After arriving at the rally, I pitch up my tent, wander down to the band tent in the warm evening sun and catch the end of The Butterfly Collective’s set before grabbing some grub and a drink.
Vince Wooloff, right, is the man behind this alternative event
Oddballs history
Before I go on, I need to give a little background to Oddballs. It started off as a small charity event ten years ago. Since then, it has grown year on year, with every year filling the coffers of The Teenage Cancer Trust. Vince Wooloff, who puts this all together, is an absolute force of nature and moves heaven and earth to put on an amazing weekend. Although it started off as a scooter rally it’s evolved into so much more, it’s an anything goes do, scooters, bikes, vans, you name it you’ll see it. Though I have yet to see a camel as a form of transport (maybe next year).
Cum on feel the Noize
Next up is Slady, a female Slade tribute band. They’re very good, and the night is rounded off with ABBA tribute ‘Revival’, even if you aren’t an ABBA fan, these girls and guys take the roof off the tent.
Finally, it’s time to head to my tent for some well-earned sleep. See you in the morning!
It’s showtime!
Breakfast time arrives, and it’s off to the clubhouse for breakfast, yum.
The morning is spent catching up with friends and watching the custom show build up, and build up it does! Some 70 scoots, plus motorbikes, make for a brilliant spectacle. I don’t envy the judges; there’s a lot of great scoots on display.
Love the smell of Napalm?
Every year has a theme, and this year’s was ‘Vietnam war movies’, and as you look through the photos, you’ll see just how many people made the effort, AK-47s et al, it all added to a fantastic atmosphere over the weekend.
Wreck a Party
Saturday flies by, with bands coming thick and fast, The Bitter Pills, a DUO, that sounds like a trio, Caz and the Traitors (who I saw at The Farmyard Bash and once again played a great set), psychobilly inspired Red Hot Riot, the fantastic Palooka 5 (yes I’m a fan) and last but definitely not least the phenomenon that is King Kurt, I don’t think I need to describe the mayhem that accompanied the set, if you know you know.
Sadly, the evening comes to an end far too quickly, and once again it’s bedtime, with an easy ride home the next morning.
Words and photos: Booga
Oddballs Rally 2026
If this looks like your kind of weekend, tickets are on sale now for the 2026 Oddballs Rally, which will be held on August 6th-9th and is a ticket-only event. Find out more here.
