Modrapheniacs Rally, Sandford.  March 16th - 18th 2007

The weather was kind to us and we woke to a mild, sunny spring day - perfect weather for riding to Dorset!   We congregated at the Esso garage on the outskirts of Bognor and set off on a very scenic route to Sandford.   Most of us were either running in or wanting to take it easy to bed in new kits/clutches etc. so we avoided the M27 and went through Southampton and the New Forest.   Right in the middle of the Forest my scooter played up a bit and then conked out.   I'm not sure whether it was a seize or something else, but the head cowling had melted in some places!    The plug looked OK so we just waited for a bit, threw some oil in the tank and then carried on very slowly.   Eventually we made it to the site and were greeted (as usual) by a grinning Rick Kay who sold us a rather fetching green glittery wristband for a tenner. 

The park made up for last year's accommodation kerfuffle and our caravans were right next to the main area.   We headed for the upstairs bar where the Pacemakers were already gathered.   Gary and Lin dashed to the television to watch the Gold Cup but came away disappointed when Gary's horse fell, wishing they hadn't bothered.   Bumped into Emma Cox who was fretting because Nita had crashed on the way up and had been taken to hospital, and she had no further news.   We went to the caravan and chilled out for a bit, had a shower and then headed back out.

Rhona and Lin got stuck into a bottle of vodka, topped up with some wine, and were very merry by the time we got out!   We were joined at various points by the Pacemakers, Talismen and Choirboys, and took great pleasure in watching my least favourite footie team get stuffed at home by Colchester!

We then headed downstairs and took up pole position at the side of the stage with Lee's lot.  The first band, Carnaby Street, played a series of scooter-friendly covers and did very well.    Then, Johnny (ex More Specials) did a rap set which I only caught the end of.  He was really good but the crowd weren't really into it, except one bloke who was breakdancing on the dance floor!   The main act of the evening were Definitely Maybe, who were brilliant.   I've not seen an Oasis tribute before but they were just like the real thing.   When I walked into the room, 'Liam' was so like the real one it was spooky, and the crowd loved them.  I found out that Nita was OK-ish - she had lots of cuts and bruises and broken teeth and the scooter was badly damaged.  It was her first rally on a new custom scoot - it's a shame an idiot of a car driver had to ruin it for her.

Saturday dawned and I visited Gary's caravan where there were a few sore heads.   Rhona was still drunk, and not looking forward to the hangover.   Various pain relief options were taken and egg sandwiches eaten until people were ready to face the world.  We headed for the stalls and there were a few custom scoots outside.   The main custom show would be on the rideout, which was a great idea as it forced everyone to ride, rather than take the bike in a van.   I didn't buy much, just a patch and a new spark plug which would hopefully be better when my engine is hot.   Or something like that....  Lee had various discussions with the likes of Campbell (who's a Lambretta man - what does he know?) and Lawrence from Cardiff, and we all agreed on a B8HS.    I also got some tape to fill in the holes in the cowling - very bodged!!

The weather for the rideout was fine, and mainly sunny.   It was really well marshalled and even when the roundabouts and traffic lights weren't stopped for us, there was always a dayglo-vested-Modrapheniac to show us the way.   We wound our way through the country, through Poole and eventually to millionaires row at Sandbanks, home to Harry Redknapp (amongst others!).    We had lunch in the pub and caught up with Joy and her ever-increasing family, including 9 month old daughter that Lee wanted to adopt!   Then we went back to Sandford town and the pub by the traffic lights, traditional Saturday home of the Pacemakers.   Disappointingly they only had rugby on the televisions, and no Sky (?!) so no Gillette Soccer Saturday for me.   This was like going cold turkey - a whole Saturday without knowing the footie scores?   Even my phone's internet didn't work because we were in the middle of nowhere so I headed back to the campsite and waited for Final Score.   It was good news - Pompey had drawn with Reading and Coventry had won, so everyone was happy.

Saturday evening was, as usual, slightly more subdued than Friday.   Although Dennis and Jamie were still very playful, but I hid behind Lee when it got scary.   The first band were called Going Underground and they played a great mix of punk and new wave covers.   The main act however, were Bognor's very own Russell Hastings and Dave Moore - playing to a rapturous audience.  Oh, by the way, they had 2/3 of The Jam playing with them too!   Having Dave on rhythm guitar and keyboards gives them more options and they'd added new songs to their repertoire.   Their sound is extremely 'tight' and so much like the original tracks, it's brilliant.   The crowd went mental - more lively than I've ever seen there.   There were a couple of injuries where people had fallen down and got kicked accidentally, but hopefully nothing serious.   And Dave gave me a setlist at the end - thanks mate!    I bumped into Nita, who was wearing sunglasses to cover up some of her injuries - a badly bruised and cut eye - but they didn't cover up the rest of her scratches.   Poor thing - she'd done well just to get there - and looked like she could do with some TLC.   Emma took to the decks and kept everyone dancing, and we then went upstairs for a nice chat with Steve, Rhona and some of the Choirboys.  We made our way back to the van at some point after 1 o'clock, needing some sleep...

Gary was up bright and early and eager to get home (mainly because he'd been so ill he hadn't made it out on the Saturday night!) so we rushed about to get ready.   They then took a different route home to us, going the 'quickest' way, straight up to the A35.   We took a slightly slower route, via Poole, but it was really funny when I stopped to put extra gloves on - they caught us up - we'd got there quicker!!   We went back on the main roads, as we couldn't be bothered with the 2000 traffic lights that line the main roads through Southampton.    I took it easy though, and stopped at Rownhams for hot chocolate (with cream and marshmallows - yum!) to let the scooter cool down.   Lee must get so frustrated - he's got this fancy 250cc scooter that can do 80+ but he's always stuck behind me, running in at 45mph!!

Anyway, we got back in time for a nice hot bath and a read of the Sunday papers - the perfect end to a fantastic weekend.   We've already booked for next year, and I suggest you do the same quickly if you want to go - over 200 caravans have gone already!!