2006 Club Rally

28-29 Jan 2006

The weather forecast was for hot weather again as we prepared for our 29th Annual Rally. This year, Australia Day fell on the Thursday and so we were expecting some Rallyists to make it a four day weekend by taking the Friday off. We began collecting our Club urns, fridges, etc on the Thursday morning and by early afternoon we had the Rally Site setup and ready for the onslaught of machines and their riders. But only a lucky few lucky campers had arrived by the arvo and so we had a lazy day talking and fettling, followed by a BYO BBQ.

Friday was similarly slow, with a few more campers arriving during the day. We had intended departing for a 'lookouts run' at about 1pm, but as more riders were progressively arriving, we decided to defer our departure a few times to catch the late arrivals. By about 2:30pm we had about 30 rides ready for the ride and off we went in 34ºC heat. The first stop was Black Mountain lookout (via where a few of the punters took the trip to the top of the tour for a panoramic view. Ian Richardson tried a couple of times to climb the hill on his vintage Douglas, but in 34ºC heat and needing over half revs in first gear, discretion was the better part of valour and he decided to wait at the bottom, rather than cook his engine. The stop was about 45 minutes, then we were off to Redhill Lookout via Lady Denman Drive and Scrivener Dam. The Douglas had no problems making it to the top. A quick regroup there for a welcome ice cream and drink, and then we headed for Mt Ainslie. Alas, the old Douglas failed to ascent the mount and decided to head home. The heat was getting the better of the rest of us and so we didn't stay long at the top. We were all glad to return to the cool of the air conditioned Quokka Pavilion at EPIC. The only casualty was Col Elliot's 1938 Rudge Ulster that pulled the nipple off its clutch cable: it had a quiet ride back on the back-up trailer. We will rethink the ride next year and certainly avoid a 2½ hour ride in 34ºC! Another BYO BBQ was on offer for dinner, although the Shoalhaven mob decided on pizzas instead.

Saturday's ride was again out to Gunderoo Wine Bar and back. But the difference this year was that the return was via Murrumbateman Road, Bedalluck Road and the Barton Highway to avoid the few thousand bikes and road closure on the Federal Highway for the MRA motorcycle awareness ride. Grand Marshall Pole had mustered the marshals by 10:00am and off we went about 10:15am, led off by veterans, vintage and military bikes (well done Jim!). The rest were soon away, with yours truly being chauffer driven in the BMW Outfit of Alan Pride, thanks Alan. (I had hoped to ride Peter Ds lovely V-Twin BSA, but despite a couple of pre-Rally fettling rides and running repairs to the magneto, Mr Lucas failed us on the way to EPIC. I was riding with Peter D on his Brough and when the Y13 started playing up, he suggested that I ride the Brough and he ride the Y13. I willingly accepted and had a lovely ride into EPIC; thanks Peter). There were a couple of machine stoppages along the way to Gunderoo. The most significant was the little CB350 of Vince Darderi that looks like it had a major bottem-end problem (loud bangs, holes and oil everywhere!). Vince is looking for anyone who needs a boat anchor.

One advantage of riding in the outfit (although some others might not agree) was that it allowed me to take the loadhailer along to hassle the riders at Gunderoo and keep 'em movin'. I might do the same next year (You know how I love the hailer!) After a well earned drink or two at Gunderoo, Grand Marshall Pole again mustered his marshals and soon after I sounded the starters 'Loudhailer'. Some of you may have noticed that Geoff Nicho was going so well on the 1905 Peugeot that he came up the main street of Gunderoo, did a U-turn and rode straight back out of town without a stop or drink. Geoff told me later that the bike was going so well he didn't want to stop it. Well done Geoff. The ride back was very pleasant (very comfortable in the chauffer driven outfit).

On return to EPIC, the bikes were parked in their respective age categories for judging. This year it was done under the shade of the trees in Drover's Square, as suggested by Charlie Davey. Great idea Charlie, the shade was a welcome relief from the searing sun; we'll continue the theme for future rallies as well. The judging was again a difficult chore for all of the entrants; the quality of bikes was outstanding. After the judging, we lined up for a cold meat and salad lunch, courtesy of Rustler's Spit Roast. This was followed by some of Lyn Scott's famous scones and then into the Motokana events.

Robert and Nic Harris again did the honours (assisted by that bloke with the loadhailer). The first event was the slalom. Mike Gilmour was keen to defend the title he won last year on the little 2 stroke 350, but this year he was on the Harley Superglide monster (not renowned for cornering!). John Bazeley was also chaffing at the bit on his Moto Guzzi. The event was hotly contested. Mike went through on a fast time, but the judges noted that he put his foot down on the turn and were keen to award a 5 second penalty. Mike lodged a protest and after the stewards met (that means I checked the rules again), his appeal was upheld. Well done Mike; he won by over 5 seconds anyway.

The second event was the Slow ride. Again, it was hotly contested. Ian Richardson even dusted off his standby bike, the vintage Douglas and fancied his chances. John Bazeley's enthusiasm and skills paid off. He won by 3 seconds with Stew Ross a fine second on the little Duke. The entrants then called for a special 'long long slow' ride, where the markers were extended to make an even slower ride. Ian Richardson was a clear winner here with 39.75 seconds followed a long way back (over 15 seconds) by Greg Stevens on the Honda 750/4. Mind you, I suspect that most there thought Ian had an unfair advantage on the Douglas when he just went round and round in circles within the markers (what do you expect when you don't have a clutch to slip!)

The final event was the Judgement ride, where you have to judge the width of you handlebars and ride through the sticks without touching them. Here the clear winner was Bernie Medway on his 1924 FN. The spectators enjoyed the events, watching from under the shade of the Drover's Square trees with a cool drink and another of Lyns scones. Thanks to Rob and Nic for running the event again this year.

The rest of Saturday afternoon was spent by exchanging bike stories and preparing for the Presentation Dinner. By about 6:30pm the Quokka Pavilion was starting to fill with eager punters ready for a good night's entertainment. The MC for the evening was again that good looking bloke that mans the loadhailer. Raffle tickets sold at a great pace, touted by Dick Holland, Mike Gilmour and Peter Davey. The Raffle prizes were plentiful and high quality. The Rustler's Spit Roast dinner was a treat. The Raffle was drawn with many happy winners. The Shoalhaven crew appeared to be repeat visitors to the Prize table, but the Grand Prize was won by Mick Gentleman. Bernie M says that next year he is only going to buy tickets from the 'yellow circle' books! The formal Trophy Presentation followed the Raffle draw. There were many worthy winners indeed. A complete list is at the end of this report. Well done to all of the winners. Whilst not wanting to offend any sponsors or recipients, a special mention is deserved for Mike Gilmour who donated a perpetual Trophy in honour of his son, Myles, who tragically died in a motorbike accident 5 years ago. The Myles Gilmour Memorial Trophy for Best Triumph twin was awarded to Greg McFawn and his '81 Bonnie'. Those of you who know Greg will also know that he adores Triumphs and in particular his Bonnie. Well done Mike and Greg. On a broader note, we continue to attract some great bikes and riders to our rally. The evening wound down at about 10pm; a great night was had by all.

Sunday's ride was to Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve via Sutton Road, Monaro Highway and Point Hut Crossing, for morning tea. We headed off at about 9:15am. I swapped my BSAs for my WRX (I again took the loudhailer) and had a great drive to Tidbinbilla via a short cut. On arrival the Toets (with a few helpers) had everything in readiness. The local Park Rangers had also set up roadsigns for us, aiming the weary riders into the first picnic ground. Fiona from 'Coffee Here' had also set up her Latte/Cappuccino wagon ready for the onslaught. The venue was great; the cakes, sandwiches, slices and drinks were superb. It was a great morning tea; we will definitely use the venue again. Well done to the Toets and support crew. After about 45 minutes, we headed back to EPIC via Paddys River Road, Coppins Crossing, William Hovell Drive, Kingsford Smith Drive and the Barton Highway. I was following a couple of blokes on Commandos (the Van Sebille brothers) and someone on a Beesa Lightning (Mr Betts). The WRX was flying and keen to overtake, but discretion was the better part of valour. Anyway, I was really enjoying the sound of the three rumbling British twins and the sweet smell of the Castrol R that Marty uses in his petrol.

On return to EPIC, most people put their bikes to bed on trailers and started packing up for the journey home. A few stalwarts from our club took a few hours to do the after-rally cleanup. Many thanks to the clean-up crew: Peter and Ann Toet, Bruce Brown, John Broad, Jim Greethead, Col Hill, Rod Greschke, Stew Ross, Steve Butcher (my apologies for anyone I missed. I've got a good memory, but it is short!). By about 4:00pm we had done the job and headed for home. We had run another great Rally, seen some familiar return Rallyists and made some new friends.

For the record we had 132 machines entered from 137 entrants requiring 140 Saturday lunches, 158 Presentation Dinners and 110 Sunday lunches. There were 32 V-twin engined machines, 24 Triumphs, 15 BSAs, 13 Harley Davidsons, 12 BMWs, 7 Hondas, 7 Nortons, 7 Velocettes, 6 Ducatis, 4 AJSs, 4 Matchlesses, 4 Suzukis, 3 Indians, 3 Moto Guzzis, 3 Rudges and sundry others.

Many thanks also to our Grand Marshall, Pole and all of his Marshalls, Harry Julian, Bill Tarplee and David Ault in the back-up vehicles, Kath and Karin (and helpers) in the Orana Bar, Steve Butcher for all of the Computer/mailout/registration/paperwork/etc support, Col Hill for all of the treasurer things he does (and for arranging the Action Motorcycle display bikes, and for providing the compressor), Peter Toet and John Broad for lugging all of our kit in their trucks, and anyone else that helped that I have left out.

Many thanks also to our Rally sponsors and prize donors, as listed at the end of the report. Without their support it would make the Rally very costly and difficult to run. A special thanks to our Major Sponsors, Action Motorcycles, Grand-Prix Carting (Jeff Devine) and Shannons.

We hope to see you next year for our 30th Rally. In the meantime,

Safe Riding,

Bill Lewis On behalf of the Rally Committee



Trophy Winners

Best Veteran (to end 1918) 1st Rob Woolley 1915 Rudge TT
2nd Christopher Wooley1914 Precision Big 4
3rd Ian Richardson 1912 Triumph 3.5hp
Best Vintage (1919 to 1930) 1st Geoff Bland 1927 BSA Light Sports
2nd Bernie Medway 1924 FN M60
3rd Richard Holland 1928 Matchless M3
Best Pre-War Classic (1931 to 1945) 1st Peter Davey 1939 Brough Superior SS80
2nd Wilf Rath 1938 AJS Silver Streak
3rd Bob Courtney 1945 Triumph 3H
Best Post-War Classic I (1946 to 1959) 1st Doug Ferguson 1946 Indian Chief
2nd Floyd Primmer 1952 Moto Guzzi Falcone Sport
3rd Colin Sunderland 1952 BSA/JAP
Best Post-War Classic II (1960 to 1975) 1st Dean Davidson 1975 Ducati 750SS
2nd Kerryn Darderi 1962 BSA RGS
3rd Stewart Ross 1969 Ducati Mk3
Best Modern (1976 onwards) 1st Geoff Frost 1982 Honda CX Sports
2nd Charles Davey 1976 Triumph Bonneville
3rd Peter Dunster 2002 Triumph Bonneville T100
Best Outfit 1st Lyndon Tilbrook 1958 BSA A10 & Tilbrook sidecar
2nd John Francis 1929 Harley Davidson J
3rd Denis Tobler 1945 Harley Davidson UL
Best Military 1st Jim Carmody 1942 BSA WM20
Best AJS/Matchless Wilf Rath 1938 AJS Silver Streak
Best BSA Dave Betts 1970 BSA Lightning
Best Norton Martin Van Sebille 1973 Norton Commando
Best Triumph Bob Courtney 1945 Triumph 3H
Best European Machine Stewart Ross 1969 Ducati Mk3
Best Indian Doug Ferguson 1946 Indian Chief
Best Sporting Interest Robert Ducat 1950 Compy AJS Model 16
Best Lady Participant Vicki Sunderland 1952 JAP Mk1
Best Junior Participant Isaac Mandelc 1954 Matchless G3L
Slalom 1st Mike Gilmore 1996 Harley Davidson 14.34 secs
2nd John Bazeley 1970 Moto Guzzi V7 20.09 secs
3rd Greg Stevens 1971 Honda CB750K2 21.22 secs
Slow Ride 1st John Bazeley 1970 Moto Guzzi V7 11.94 secs
2nd Stewart Ross 1969 Ducati Mk3 8.96 secs
3rd Stevens 1971 Honda CB750K2 7.72 secs
Judgement 1st Bernie Medway 1924 FN M60 95mm
2nd Mike Gilmore 1996 Harley Davidson 110mm
3rd Ian Richardson 1928 Douglas 132mm
Hardluck Award (Light up with Lucas!) Vince Darderi 1971 Honda CB350
Best New Restoration by a VVCMCC ACT Member Bernie Medway 1924 FN M60
Myles Gilmour Memorial Trophy for the Best Triumph Twin Greg McFawn 1981 Triumph Bonneville
Best V-Twin Engined Machine Colin Sunderland 1952 BSA Jap
King of the Rally Ian Richardson 1912 Triumph 3.5hp



Sponsors:
Major Sponsors - Action Motorcycles - Grand Prix Karting - Shannons
King of the Rally - Action Motorcycles
Best V-twin Bike - Shannons
Best Modern Machine - Action Motorcycles
Best Junior Participant - Harry Julian
Best Lady Participant - Harry Julian
Best AJS/Matchless - Grand-Prix Karting
Best BSA - Grand-Prix Karting
Best Norton - Grand-Prix Karting
Best Triumph - Eurotune Motorcycles
Best Indian - Jim Parker Motorcycles
Best Sporting Interest - Dunster Automotive
Best Outfit - TJ’s Tyres & Accessories
Best Military - TJ’s Tyres & Accessories



Donations:
Joes Motorcycles - Kidney Belt
Canberra M/C Centre - $100 Gift Voucher
Dahlitz Motorcycles -Motorbike Cover
Gecko Motorcycles -2 X $25 Vouchers
TJ’s Tyres & Access - Cleaning Products, Oils, fuel additives
The Battery Factory -6V & 9V Battery Chargers
Castrol Oils -1 X 1lt Activ2T Oil, 2 X 1lt Activ4T Oil, 1 X 4 lt Active4T Oil, 4 X 1 lt R30 Oil