How can it almost be time for the Isle of Wight International Scooter Rally already? This year is flying by, and I bet lots of you haven’t bought your advance tickets yet…
Luckily, those jolly folks at VFM have kindly given us a pair of weekend tickets to give away to one of you lucky lot. Before all that though, if you want to be sure to buy tickets in advance, you only have until this weekend to buy them. After that, you’ll still be able to pay on the gate when you get there.
Who are VFM
For those of you who don’t know, VFM have been running the Isle of Wight scooter rally (and various other National Scooter Rallies) since the late 1990s (previously they’d run lots of small dos and events). They became one of the main National Rally organisers at a time when scootering was dying out; some events only had a few hundred people attending back then.
Vibrant times
Up until the turn of the century, the main do at the IOW was held in a small-capacity venue called Livingstones. As numbers increased, they quickly outgrew it, and every other venue on the island. Even the 3,000-capacity ice rink in Ryde was full to bursting. VFM and other road-going National rally organisers built the scene back up through hard work and determination.
VFM is run by scooterists, for scooterists, and to put on an event like the Isle of Wight is an immense financial gamble. If you’re going to the island, please at least visit the campsite as a day visitor, or preferably get yourself there for an evening or two. Even better still, camp at Sandown Airport and be a part of the weekend in its entirety.
What’s on?
Although there are plenty of things on around the island, we’re going to concentrate on the official BSRA part of this massive event. VFM moved from Smallbrook Stadium to Sandown Airport earlier this decade. If you’ve never been before, here’s what you can expect.
Facilities
- Huge grassy campsite – take a tent and chill out
- Glamping – you can pre-book a glamping tent with all mod cons
- Lovely hot showers – they’re £2 a go but are cleaned every time somebody uses them. Don’t be worried about washing at this event!
- Toilets are dotted around on site – they’re also clean
- Cafe – there’s a cafe and Bistro Bar on site
- All the VFM entertainment is on site from Thursday to Sunday (see flyer above)
- Massive trade village
- Custom show on site Saturday
- Dyno
- Live music, DJs and (after midnight), silent disco
- Ride out – The ride out arrives on site on Sunday afternoon – be part of it, or watch it arrive!
Competition time
We mentioned that the campsite had moved from Smallbrook to Sandown earlier this decade, but we want to know what year that was. Just answer the multiple-choice question below by leaving a comment on this post.
1. 2019
2. 2020
3. 2021
If you’d like to tell us about one of your favourite memories from the Isle of Wight, you can add that as well and it might well help to sway our judges..
We’ll pick a winner on Sunday 9th August; the winner will receive a pair of weekend tickets worth £35 each. Please only enter if you plan to go to the rally.
UPDATE – We have a winner!
Thanks to those of you who entered; sadly, most of you got the answer to our question WRONG! Those who answered ‘2020’ seem to have forgotten that we were still in lockdown conditions.
VFM had planned to use Sandown Airport for the first time in 2020, and tickets had already gone on sale, but when Covid hit, they were forced to cancel. 2021 was still a very uncertain year, but the rally went ahead as planned.
Our winner is Andy Wellend, he correctly answered: My answer is 2021. Announced in 2019, cancelled in 2020 because of Covid, Held in 2021.
Get in touch, Andy, and we’ll get your weekend passes sorted out.
2019 was the change
The rally moved to sandown in 2020. My favourite small brook memory when secret affair played in a marquee on site. They weren’t allowed to be called secret affair as Dave Cairns wasn’t in the band at that time Just known as The Affair Probably late 90’s. Very small do considering 😁
2021
My answer is 2021.
Announced in 2019, cancelled in 2020 because of Covid, Held in 2021.
2019
2021
2020 was the 1st rally on sandown airport
2020 was year