I’d like to say I set off to Scarborough full of the joys of spring, but a nasty lingering ‘Benalmadena Bug’ meant I just wanted to lie on the sofa.
I’m not looking for sympathy (well maybe a bit), but I’d spent a few hours in A&E/the walk-in centre the day before. It’s the only way to get antibiotics around here. Staying at home wasn’t an option, though, and piloting a revvy Lambretta to the seaside would hopefully cure things.
Sweaty mess
We left my house in a group of four, heading off to meet the rest of the Mansfield Monsters and Blazing Glory. I was a sweaty mess inside my RST jacket but soldiered on. After ‘only’ an hour or so of messing around at the meeting point, our group of 15 scooters set off for the next stint, clouds of blue smoke filling the air and excitement mounting.
Within 15 miles, Rich’s GP had an ignition failure, and he ended up leaving the scooter in a kind old ladies’ garden in Bawtry. He’s a nervous rider but opted to jump on the back of my Quattrini for the rest of the ride… the fool. The rest of the ride was uneventful, and Rich seemed happy enough on the back despite some spirited riding. He’s less scared being a pillion than he is riding, or so it seems.
Scooter charging bays
Arriving in Scarborough, the pavements were already overflowing with vintage ladies shopping bikes. Luckily, we were greeted by an over-friendly traffic warden who informed us that no parking fines would be issued for scooters over the weekend. He told us to park in a small pay-and-display car park near the hotel (scooters were free) and use the electric charging bays. I doubt Mr or Mrs Green would be too happy when they arrived to charge their car and found these smelly, polluting two strokes in the way.
Competition winner
A few weeks ago we ran a competition to win two tickets to Scarborough and the chance to write about the rally for SLUK. 24-year-old Ben Finlay won the competition and you can find his thoughts on the rally below.
Just before I sign off, I must say that the town and the rally seemed very busy over the weekend. Custom show entries were up as well, unusual for an Easter rally. Once you were in the Spa on Saturday morning, the queue to get into the actual show was snaking down the corridor and into the middle of the venue. I didn’t even get in there. Luckily, Booga was there early enough to get some photos and there are three galleries for you to flick through in this article.
It’s a positive sign for the year ahead.
Anyway, here are Ben’s thoughts…
Iggy
So my scootering season didn’t get off to a flying start… Thursday night, before setting off, I was going over the Lammy, giving it a check-up before setting off on Friday morning. Everything was fine, I checked in the tank and thought yeah, ‘That’s enough fuel to get me to the meeting point’ approximately 12 miles from home, “champion” strap my bag on in the morning, and away we go, or so I thought.
The fourth emergency service
I got about nine miles, then blurrrrrr, a quick phone call to Barrie & Karen, who I was supposed to be meeting, and he came to the rescue with a jerry can for me, a bit embarrassing considering I am an AA Patrolman, who regularly tells people off for running out of fuel!
On we went. The rest of the journey was very uneventful. We made a quick stop at Birksbrow for a sandwich, then headed to Scabby.
Cheap not cheerful
After a quick ride along the seafront, we went straight to the digs. At £30 a night, I wasn’t too sure what to expect, but what I got was not it. What an absolute dive! I’m surprised we didn’t catch something.
Friday night started with a hike into town for some fish and chips, then onto the bars. We ended up missing the first half of The Specials Ltd set, but the bit we did catch was outstanding, they had the place bouncing. There was a proper buzz to the place, which helped the beers go down a treat, and the craic was flowing.
Soak it up
Saturday morning we headed into town for a proper greasy spoon brekky, then into The Spa for the parts fair and custom show. I didn’t manage to find any goodies to buy, only a couple of spares for the bike, a bottle of two-stroke and, of course, a patch.
40 years of Scootering
Large and larger, former Scootering Magazine editor Gareth Brown (left) stands with current editor Stan as the mag celebrates its 40th anniversary. I remember the day at school when somebody came in with that very first issue (I was a scooter-mad 14-year-old at the time). The rest is history.
The magazine (and lots of other titles) has recently been sold to a new publisher, Kelsey.
Too busy
For some reason, I never made it into the custom show. My partner, Anna drove down in the car for the day Saturday with my son for his first rally! His excuse for not coming on the bike is he’s only 7 months old, which even I think is a bit young to get on the back.
Saturday evening didn’t seem to be as busy in The Spa. We wanted to see the whole of Angelo Starr’s set, and as always, he put on an outstanding show, even if it wasn’t as busy as it could have been!
The ride home Sunday morning was as straightforward as you’d hope and the sun was shining, which is always a bonus. Roll on the next one!
Words Ben Finlay
Photos, Ben, Booga and Iggy
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