Thanks 2006

15th August 2006

Once again the National Road Rally is over for another year and if the comments by the participating riders are any guide then it was successful. That success depends entirely on the hundreds of volunteers who give their time and energy to run the Controls, many of whom stay up all night. It would be impossible to run the Rally in its present popular form without their help.

On behalf of the National Road Rally Committee and all the riders who took part this year it is my pleasure to thank the Control organisers and their teams for their help in this year's event. Please pass our comments on to your team with all our good wishes. It is very encouraging for the future of the Rally that so many people are willing to help.

There is a 'Best Control Award' for each Zone, decided by the participating riders on a percentage basis of all the riders visiting each control; this means it does not discriminate against a Control which has had few visitors. This year in the Inner Zone the winner was again Sutton Maddock with Congleton second and Leicester third. In the Outer Zone the winner was (again) Leeds with Cranwell second and Wisbech third. Congratulations to all concerned.

Mencap have reported that many riders took up sponsorship again this year and although it is early days regarding the final amount raised, based on the amount received in previous years they forecast a total of about 30,000. If that is correct it is a wonderful effort by all the people participating and a tremendous boost for Mencap.

The final control for next year will hopefully be at Scarborough, which means that some of this year's controls will not be needed and can have a rest and others will be asked to work at a different time. However, more controls will be needed north east of the country. Once a definite decision has been made you will be contacted immediately about what is happening for 2007.

If you require any details regarding the awards and entries they are all on the Rally website.

Once again, thank you for your superb efforts.

Yours sincerely,

Chief Marshal