Trophy time
With awards presentations cancelled this year, we take a nostalgic look at how they were in the past and what they meant to those involved.
It would be about this time of the year that the LCGB annual awards ceremony would be taking place. Sadly because of the pandemic, it has been cancelled not only because the event itself can’t be held, but because there has been no rally season or competitions to speak of. The event held with the AGM has become something of an institution, spanning 40 years, and is still as popular as ever. After the rejuvenation of the club in the late 1970s and once it became fully established seasonal competitions were formed and soon became fiercely competitive. These were not just for individual members but also for clubs involved in both rallygoing and sporting events.
Very well organised and marshalled, they were not just done for the sake of handing a few trophies out at the end of the year. The idea was to give the members something to be part of and it didn’t necessarily require them to be out on the racetrack or in offroad trials to participate. The committee had worked on a format that from day one would become a success and one event more than any other soon became a heavily contested competition that is still going strong today: the best supporting member.
All over the country
The idea of the best supporting member (BSM) was simple enough – to have a championship where members had to sign on at specific events, getting points each time. They could be anything from official club rallies to the main nationals. Added in were other events such as scooter racing, custom shows, anything that was scooter related. It had another benefit, meaning that members were not only attending LCGB events but any other within the championship. As Kev Walsh explained: “It worked two-fold, giving the members something to aim for while at the same time getting crowds at other events that were not always well supported.”
In its first year, the winner was none other than Scootering magazine writer Mark Sargeant, who would go on to win it three years in a row from 1981 to 1983. In 1984 a new winner would be crowned and a person who would become synonymous with the event, David Batty. He was one of the club’s real characters in the early years and would go on to win it no fewer than four times. For Dave, it was a case of getting to the event as quickly as possible to give him more time at the bar, which he openly admits to. There was never a club rally where he wouldn’t be one of the first to arrive; he almost became part of the furniture.
Pushing them to the limit
Once Kev Walsh had become general secretary of the LCGB and established in his role he saw the BSM as the crowning glory of all the club’s championships. He wanted to make it harder though, almost like a test of endurance to see if members could make every event or if it could break them. Signing on could be anywhere and at any type of scooter event. They were of course all the standard ones like club rallies and nationals but the others could be anything – shop open days, scooter racing, off-road trials, even grass track events. The bonus of adding these in was it allowed Kev to spread them all over the country. If there was a race meeting at Knockhill in Scotland it would be on the list; grass track racing down south near Brands Hatch, open days that were on a Sunday only, to not give you a day off. “I wanted them to work for the trophy and see who would break first.”
To make it even harder the first event would be in February, regardless of what the weather was like, and end up with the last one in October, again with the possibility of atrocious conditions. Once the list of signing-on events was printed in Jet Set magazine the race was on to make sure your scooter was ready and at the first event, you would know who the serious contenders were. It usually started with Bedlam Scooters’ open day early in the year and you could tell by those that turned up it was their intention to go the whole duration of the season. As each signing-on event was chalked off the calendar the numbers became less and less, some dropping out because their scooter was off the road or something else cropping up on the same weekend as an event.
There were around 20 or so events altogether so there wouldn’t be many weekends between March and October where you wouldn’t be away from home. Not
only did it take a toll on the rider travelling all those miles but also the scooter. They had to be done on a Lambretta to get full points and many a time an emergency repair was done just to get there. The war of attrition would take its toll with only a handful of riders making it to all signing-on events but the reward at the end of it was all that mattered. While the trophy for winning the BSM championship was nice, it was having your name on the list of those that had achieved it that was the most important.
As well as the BSM there was the club championship which was just as strongly contested, if not more so. As many members of a club would attend signing-on events, not only did it become more difficult to police, there were all sorts of tricks to get more people to sign on. Those in the BSM championship became wanted people by the top clubs because they were going to every event, regardless of how remote it was, giving the club they signed on for valuable points. Individuals almost became like top football players, wanted by every club, and sometimes incentives were given if you joined. You might have a member from the south of the country in a scooter club from the north, such was the intensity of the competition.
Everything else
Many other seasonal scooter championships have taken place over the years, all of which played an important part in promoting scooter disciplines. Scooter racing has always been part of the LCGB for many years with several different championships held. Many off-road trials and gymkhana events provided great entertainment at club rallies, watching riders fall off in the pursuit of winning. There has always been a good spirit between members and the emphasis has always been on being part of it and competing, not just about winning trophies. You could always tell those who were serious about going for a championship and that was fine, but everyone within the club has always been encouraged to have a go.
Recognition
All the hard work put in by both individual riders and clubs was recognised by the end-of-year trophy presentation which is still going strong to this day. The chance to receive your award in front of fellow club members is a great feeling and worth the effort put in over the season. It hasn’t always been just about the championships, though the presentation has always been the time to reward those that have given their time and dedicated themselves to the services of the club. Such accolades as the Norman Gaze trophy or the coveted Barcelona sword were given to those who have helped the Lambretta cause beyond the normal level of duty.
Ask anyone who has received such an award and they will tell you what a proud moment it is to be honoured in this way. You can look back through the club’s history – not just with the images shown here from the early days but ever since – to realise it is an institution within the scooter scene like no other. This year has meant a gap and a halt in the proceedings, but we can be sure the club will get back into full swing once the restrictions of the pandemic have been lifted. When they are, members should get themselves ready to enter another full year of championships, which hopefully will be very soon.
Words: Stu Owen