Making plans
This time of year is when the loose thoughts over winter start to become real; the first rally, the first race, the events you are doing and the ones you’re not.
Iguess Easter could be argued as the start of the scooterists’ year. Back in the day the Number 1s’ meeting would have taken place and you would have telephoned (or even written letters!) to get a B&B booked. You’d have sent a cheque (remember them?) and looked forward to that first event of the year. The standout for me was always Scarborough. I remember one year battling snow flurries that became blizzards to get there. We wondered at one point if we should be turning back. Open face helmets, parkas and scarves were the order of the day and the girls were very cold as we crossed the Humber Bridge!
It was feckin’ cold, I know that, and the temperature only really popped above freezing when the sun came out briefly at lunchtime. Of course we still managed to ride up and down Marine Drive a few times before retiring to a hostelry to get properly warm. If my memory serves me correct I had some pinstriped denim jeans and was most disappointed I had to cover them in waterproof overtrousers trying to keep warm and dry; bin liners probably came into the equation too.
This year, for many, the season will begin on April 7 and ahead of that the anticipation and even excitement will start to build. It’s an exciting time, mapping out the year’s weekends away, whether that be National rallies, local rallies or scooter racing. Of course nowadays it’s so much easier to get information as to what’s on and where, but planning out the definite things you are doing, what requires time off work and what you can do without taking any time off, is still a great thing to do. The scooter racers will be planning sneaky pre-season track days or tests to get back in the swing of riding at speed and testing whatever new tuning or modifications have been made to the bikes. Road or race, there might be a new paint job and equipment too.
As the month progresses the daily commute starts to begin and end in daylight and we can ride with a layer or too less; the sun is out, the holiday ads are on TV and there’s a year of scooter riding to look forward to as the cold, wet, dark winter gets left behind. The anticipation of that first event, what new scooters there are, new go-faster goodies, new custom paint jobs. So much to look forward to. Meeting people you’ve not seen over winter, the ones you only see at rallies, catching up over beers and getting in a spot of dad dancing. It’s a great time of year really.
I remember many years ago I had a calendar for the year on my shed wall, the rally dates written in marker pen, and alongside the calendar was a map with the rally venues marked. Over time the seaside venues became race track venues and the race circuits around the UK became increasingly familiar.
There was Lydden Hill near Dover at one end of the country, Pembrey in deepest Welsh Wales in the other direction and then up to Knockhill in Scotland, although somehow it still felt like we were at Three Sisters near Wigan every other weekend!
Whether it is rallies or racing, scootering is a great chance and way to see different parts of the country. Deciding on routes is always interesting – motorways for speed, rural roads for views. Or perhaps you may plan around favourite stopping points to rest and eat; back in the day sometimes rally routes were planned around the Little Chef map... all those of a certain age will relate to them for sure!
So yes, the sun is shining more, the nights are lighter, it’s not freezing cold, murky and wet all the time so there is much to look forward to in life.
A whole summer of scootering is on the way and so is the opportunity to get out on our scooters and leave the world’s troubles behind.
It’s an exciting time, mapping out the year’s weekends away, whether that be National rallies, local rallies or scooter racing.