Saturday dawned to the sound of squawking seagulls and it was another scorching day. Downstairs, Teddy Edwards was chilling in the sun and it was nice to chat with passers-by who were drooling over our scooters.
After a restorative breakfast we rode the scooters down to the green where it was relatively quiet but we kept bumping into people for a chat.
I really love John Ricote and Michelle Mantle’s striking LDs which I’d seen briefly at Big 7 but it was great to see them properly.
Local photographer Colin Gough asked John to move the scooters into a more scenic part of the prom and so I sneaked in on the action getting some lovely pics!
One of the best things about rallies is meeting up with people you’ve not seen for ages, as well as meeting new ones. I was really enjoying spending time with Lee’s mates from Nuneaton, and am hoping that they will come on more rallies with us soon. Some of Ted’s life hacks were entertaining and could even be snapped up by Viz for their top tips feature. The best one was for getting preferential treatment at Disney resorts in Florida – you buy your son or daughter a big ‘I am 10’ badge and pretend it’s their birthday; you get to meet the characters and they make a real fuss of you, apparently!
Isle of Wight Custom Show
Next on the list for Saturday is always a trip to the campsite to see the custom show. Smallbrook was really busy, with hundreds of scooters parked on the racetrack, getting dusty!
The custom show was busy too, crammed with top shiny scooters and the standard is so high. There were many newly-finished scooters in attendance, as well as some classics and oddities.
Breaking Rocks In The Hot Sun’s new panels looked fab, and you can read more about this stunning scooter in my Scooter Expo review. It picked up a few trophies at the Isle of Wight custom show including Best Custom Lambretta, which was fully deserved in my opinion.
Shane Hayter’s O’ Fortuna won Champion Of Champions, and you can read all about its history here, in a previous post.
Isle of Wight Custom Show Results
We weren’t around in the afternoon for the results but Tori very kindly shared them with me.
Best Cutdown
Old School Classic Cut, sponsored by BSSO
Original Scooter
SX200 MOD 18F, sponsored by Photography UK
Vintage Vespa Pre-72
Green Goddess, sponsored by Classic Scooterist
Custom Vespa
Hammer Horror, sponsored by All Or Nothing SC
Restored Vespa
Rally 200, AWV 474K, sponsored by VCB
Best Chop
Blue Summer, sponsored by Distant Echo SC
Best Oddity
Bruce Wayne Batscoot, sponsored by Macca & Dobbins scooter repairs
Street Racer Vespa
Peaky Blinders, sponsored by LCOC
Best Paintwork
Rallymaster, 135 ASV, sponsored by K2 Custom Classics
Best Hybrid
Alwin Pushpak Rum Runner, sponsored by Tasso Works
Best Engineering
Repsol Replica, sponsored by Lexham
Best Plating
Breaking Rocks In The Hot Sun, sponsored by Mansfield Monsters SC
Exhibitors’ Choice
O’ Fortuna, sponsored by Smallbrook Speedway
Punters’ Choice
O’ Fortuna, sponsored by Scootering Magazine
Best In Show
Breaking Rocks In The Hot Sun, sponsored by ScooterNova
First Time Entrant
Hammer Horror, sponsored by Crusader Promotions
Mod/Accessories
Series 2, 982 XVA, sponsored by Lexham
Vintage Lambretta Pre-65
Series 1 496 YUJ, sponsored by LCGB
Custom Lambretta
Breaking Rocks In The Hot Sun, sponsored by Scooter Resorations
Restored Lambretta
NYPD LI 150, sponsored by Maygreen
Vintage Non-Vespa/Lambretta
Lambrettini 50cc, sponsored by South West Scooter Clubs
Best Ridden Scooter
NYPD LI 150, sponsored by SLUK / Northern Gary Cordon Memorial £50
Street Racer Lambretta
Rule Britannia, sponsored by Lexham
Mural
Breaking Rocks, sponsored by Lexham
Vinyl/Graphics
Pimms O’Clock, sponsored by A Touch Of Glass
Best Auto
Repsol Replica, sponsored by On Two Wheels magazine
Engraving
Breaking Rocks, sponsored by SIP Scooter Centre
Display
Top Banana, sponsored by Colchester DVLC
Champion Of Champions
O’ Fortuna, sponsored by VFM/J Bolland Memorial Trophy
Full Custom Show Gallery
Sitting In The Sun
We had a quick wander around the stalls before heading back into town where more Detours had arrived for a day visit. Daz from Crusader Promotions had produced some Diary Of A Detour t-shirts for me so Mark and Putt stripped off to give them a try out!
It seemed very busy in town, with the good weather helping to draw scooterists, tourists and locals alike to admire the scooters and sit in the sun.
This custard-themed Lambretta GP is owned by Jonny Freeman from the Hoodlums.
At 4pm we wandered to the Pavilion Bar where Heavy Soul were playing. Teddy Edwards had seen them recently and loved them, so our expectations were high. He wasn’t wrong and they played a banging first set, to an appreciative crowd. It was really hot in there though and I really wanted to go for a ride, so me and Lee got back on the scooters to cool down a bit. We went to Bembridge which we’ve ridden through many times but never stopped. It’s such a peaceful spot and we parked up next to the houseboat cafe overlooking the harbour.
Back in Ryde, after a quick shower, we headed out for the night.
We had a few drinks in town with more of Lee’s mates from the midlands before hopping on the rally bus to Smallbrook. I’d been disappointed with the one-dimensional music on offer in Ryde on the Friday night, with either soul, 60s or reggae being the only options. I was desperate for something ‘alternative’ and although we missed the first band at the campsite it was refreshing to hear a bit of indie from the VFM DJs before headliners Smoove and Turrell kicked off their set.
I’d been excited to hear them in action, having asked the ever-helpful Alexa to play a selection of their tunes last week, which was enough to make me shuffle around the kitchen. In person though, they were awesome!
Their mix of funk and soul was so energetic, and the dancefloor was full of sweaty scooterists, I loved it! It made a refreshing change to see a young, vibrant band, playing their own songs (there was just one cover, the final encore) and redefining what ‘scooter music’ is all about. We don’t all want to listen to non-stop Northern Soul, which was the VFM’s ethos when it started 35 years ago.
After Smoove and Turrell finished there was a queue of people lining up to buy t-shirts and CDs. Tori very kindly made sure there was one for me and I was very happy to get a sticker too! If you want to find out more then visit their website here.
Daz and Evo then played until midnight in the marquee and then we moved to the clubhouse where the partying continued until around 1am when we called it a night and caught the bus back to Ryde. It was so good to finish the last evening on a high. The atmosphere at Smallbrook is what it’s all about for me, and shows you don’t need a fancy venue to capture the essence of what scootering is all about.
Read about the Friday at the Isle of Wight here, and all the Sunday rideout buildup here.
Saturday Photo Gallery
Book for next year!
To see what options are available for the Isle of Wight next year check Booking.com here. There are no guarantees whether the rally will be on but you can book a room with cancellation to hedge your bets!
Rally Guides
Rally Guides
If you’re planning your scootering calendar for 2021 then check out my 2021 Rally Guide to get the best choice of accommodation.
For an in-depth guide to the biggest scooter rally in the world, here is a link to my Isle of Wight rally guide.
My First Rally
My popular series, My First Rally, features stories from people on the scene.
Read more My First Rally stories using these links (in alphabetic order)
– Ali Richards
– Bill Mac
– Dave Lloyd
– Dean Percival
– Dizzy Holmes
– Iggy Grainger
– Jo Jackson
– Lee Parker
– Lee Richards
– Mike Oxley
– Niamh Pennington
– Nick Jolly
– Norrie Kerr
– Roger Williams
– Sandra Smith
– Sarah George
– Sean Robinson
– Stacey Gardner
– Steve Bone
– Sticky
– Stuart Owen
– Vince Wooloff
You’ve certainly crammed lots in. Look forward to reading about Sunday.