National scooter rallies r – an institution built in stone

Following past comments in the scootering press regarding the current situation of the national scooter rallies; for a moment ponder these thoughts...

The birth of the national scooter rallies as we know them today came at the beginning of the 1980s. Their roots were established in years previous, but the rally scene we recognise and still love today, evolved during that decade. That was also the period of the highest attendances; sadly those days will probably never return. Even so, almost 40 years on the national rallies are still here and well attended.

I, like a lot of people, like a bit of nostalgia… looking back at grainy photographs and recalling a certain rally. We were all young back then and partial to sleeping in a freezing cold tent on the rocky ground, living out of the back of a club van for the weekend, often without having a wash or anything substantial to eat, it was part and parcel of rally life. As we get older though, it’s a fact that many now want creature comforts and that often equates to a bed and breakfast rather than a tent or van. This means that the rallies have evolved to suit the needs of us all. Yes, there is still plenty of camping happening, certainly at inland rallies, but even that is subject to more luxurious equipment and surroundings as we get older. Looking back is fine but the reality is that a vast majority would never attend a rally in that way any more.

Ever since the rallies started there’s been a requirement to keep those attending constantly interested. The easiest way is by means of alcohol, an establishment to consume it in and some decent music! That is what makes the nationals so great compared to inland rallies. At an inland rally, there is on-site catering and most likely a local pub in the vicinity. At a national, there is a whole town of eateries, drinking establishments, and certainly a few favourites among scooterists available. Then there is the entertainment on offer over the course of the weekend. Again this is the advantage a national rally holds as there can be several venues offering a wider selection from which you as an individual can to choose. This has always been the lure of the Isle of Wight for example, with several bands or different musical tastes being catered for all at the same time.

Ever since the Nationals began they have always been spread evenly around the country. I think it’s fair to say no one has ever argued that this shouldn’t be the case. It has, however, been commented on that it’s predictable and that we know which town each rally will be in well in advance. Possibly so, but there are valid arguments for it being this way. You can’t just roll up at a resort town and expect to put an event on like a scooter rally without alerting the authorities and contacting the local council first. In the old days, many councils didn’t want a rally held in their town because of the trouble they often brought with them. That scenario is long gone and most towns now welcome scooterists with open arms to boost their economy.

As for the surprise element, does it really matter how long in advance you know about a rally? Yes in days gone by it was kept a closely guarded secret till the last minute. Now though, any promoter will want their rally advertised as far forward as possible to get as many people there in attendance as they can… to pay for venues, bands, staff and so on. With today’s modern technology booking available rooms at a national are so simple – straight from your phone if need be. It can be frustrating finding out the majority of rooms have been booked in advance but isn’t this telling you something? If there was plenty of accommodation available that would send out a signal that possibly the rally was not going to be well attended and make you think… should I go?

Any scooter rally, whether national or club organized, has run a similar format for years, still does and will do so in the future. How do you change the format? The reality is… you can’t. Well not significantly. They are based on custom shows, music venues, bands, and pubs. Yes, you can use a different DJ or a different band for instance but the concept will always be the same. In the past, many scooterists moved on to different scenes such as the VW and camper van boom in the 1990s or to motorbike events. The majority of them came back though, and why? Because… many quoted them as being boring when compared to scooter rallies! You could change the venue town every year and keep it a surprise up to the last minute but the fact still remains that its format would remain largely the same.

It’s possible some reading what is written here won’t agree with what has been said. Maybe so, but the general point is if you don’t like the nationals as they are then don’t go. But think what would happen if they finished due to lack of support! Can you imagine if it was announced that there would be no more national scooter rallies? It would be a sad day for the scooter scene. Nationals are vital as they connect scooterists across the whole of the country directly with each other and without them that real world connectivity would be gone. Though they don’t please all of the people all of the time, they are still the backbone of the scene. Do they need changing significantly? Well, that’s for you to decide, but I think not. As the saying goes... if it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it!

Nationals are vitally important as they connect scooterists across the whole of the country directly with each other and without them that real world connectivity would be gone.