Aegir Rally

Clouded in the mists of alcohol, this rally was somewhere along the Trent or Humber and is named after the tidal bore which runs up the river with the neap tide. I bet that paints a picture.

This rally was organised by the Gainsborough and District and was one of the earliest I attended.

It was so cold John Staples and I slept in the clubhouse - or at least tried to. Some prat was talking and smoking all night. It was also the first time I saw a BSA Rocket 3.

- Ian Goodson

For a report of the 1976 Aegir Rally as recorded at the time by Steve White go to the Megaphone report.

Held at the Park Drain Hotel, to the east of Doncaster, in the summer months, July or August.

I was on my 650cc Triton/Monza with Andy Hawthorn 500cc Velo Clubman & John Wall 350cc Velo M.A.C.

One of my early ones. I was still at the stage when you were asking people "When's the next rally?"

"Hey up old lad, 'tis the Aegir at Park Drain Hotel, Doncaster. Right graidley do young 'un. Don't e' miss it."

So I made an early start and rode up on Friday evening on getting near to Doncaster a fog or rather smog was hanging in the air. Something that I hadn't smelled for years. I got my bearings from some chap in the street and was going hell for leather to get there as it was getting close to closing time. At last I could see the place off to my right. I turned right and drove down the road for a few hundred yards and screamed to a halt. A glance at my watch said 10.30pm. I sprinted inside, ran to the bar and ordered 3 pints of bitter and two bottles of light ale. The first pint was downed in one before the second was pulled. "What's the hurry lad?" "Closing time." I said "Nah, that's at eleven around here." "Any way where is everybody?" "Everybody Who?" "The motor cycle rally!" "Rally? Rally? Oh that's next weekend!"

Have you ever wanted to disappear up your own backside ...... I have ...... The landlord let me pitch the tent on the grass at the side of the pub and the next morning I set about trying to stop my mates from setting out for the rally. I sent a telegram to Andy but he had set out before it got to his home. I couldn't get word to John apart from sending Andy to stop him. I set off home and stopped Andy in Derby as I saw him coming the other way. Poor old John went all the way and broke down on the way home.

We attended the following weekend and kept our heads low.

I did another one a few years later, same pub but different site. Blazing hot weekend. Could have been 1976 I can't remember. Too much anti-memory juice.

The Aegir Rally was my first ever rally, 1974 I think. It was right behind the Park Drain Hotel and a railway line. I went on my 250 Honda XL trail bike with Christine on the back. I followed Jimmy and Ronny Southward, BSA A10 combo, and Velo respectively.

I remember a big, high, back room, with a flag suspended from the ceiling by the four corners. During the evening a pie fight ensued, with a lot of pies aimed into the flag so the weight pulled the centre down to a point.

Next year was the red-hot year. The flag still had a weight in the centre but the moisture must have dried it out because the sag was much less pronounced than the previous year.

I still ride, not many rallies now though, Stormin, Into the Valley, Farmyard.

Good mates were The Woffs, Ian and Jim, Dave and Chris Honneyman, Roy the Boy, Big John Emery, Stewy Taylor and Teado, Big Keith Hunwick and little Val his wife, and on and on. Apologies if I left anyone out, I don't know how much space they will allow me.

Paul Elliott, Tees Tornadoes.

I went to the Aegir Rally from 1972-1976, along with other members of our club, the Tees Tornados, so my memories of it span that time scale. I couldn't say for definate that a certain event was this year, or that year.

I do remember it was a fantastic rally and the weather was usually good and at least one year it was absolutely scorching. I seem to remember a group of us going for a swim in a pond ... anyone out there remember more on that?

We did witness an horrific accident that year, a Norton Commando rider came to grief when a car pulled out in front of him. He was riding down one of the many long straight stretches of roads that surrounded the Park Drain Hotel. These roads were perfectly flat and straight for miles. Because of the red-hot weather there was one hell of a heat haze, so visibility was limited to a few hundred yards. A car pulled onto the road from a house at the side of the road and the bike ploughed into it. He didn't stand a chance poor lad. The bike caught fire and there was molten aluminium on the road, such was the heat of the fire. The rider was thrown down the road. I don't think he survived.

I think it was the Rally in 1973 that Smiv n I met a Japanese guy who like me was riding a 350 Honda twin. He told me he'd decided to see the world and figured out his easiest, cheapest option was to do it by motor bike, even though he'd never riden one before. He passed his test a couple of months before setting off. Brave man! He'd riden right accross Asia and Europe, and said he was making for America next. He was writing a report of his journey and sending it back to a Japanese newspaper or magazine and they were subsidising his trip. After he'd crossed America his plan was to take his Honda 350 to a major Honda dealer and persuade them to give him a new one in exchange for his stories and the bike that had just gone round the world. I wonder if that came off ... answers on a postcard please.

Does anyone out there remember "Festus", a guy from the Nottingham club? He gave a full recital of "Eskimo Nell" in a small room at the Hotel. It seemed to go on for ages and gratified listeners would wander off and come back to supply the mantlepiece Festus was leaning on with fresh pints of ale. The Japanese guy was amazed at all of this, and loved every minute of it.

Other memories are of Kev Dixon falling down a drainage ditch after a session, and me being run over by a sidecar outfit on the way back from the pub to the site. I remember walking back with a group of rallyists, hearing a bike, looking round and seeing a headlamp, then thinking he's got loads of room ... bang ... and and I'm on the ground. I looked up to see the two lights of a sidecar going away from us ... never did find the culprit, the little tinker.

It was a great rally, the Aegir.

Dave Honneyman

This was run by the Hub-spinners MCC of Gainsborough although a lot of us were from Scunthorpe.

My first of many was in 1968 at Gringley on the Hill where some idiot was showing how fast his Commando would go down the road. It moved sites a few times as did the club meeting place, gradually moving north until it ended up next to Scunthorpe at Keadby and I think the last guy running it, who has the ultimate say in the name, is Pete Ross (Rossie).

Only myself (Stef) and Snowy are still faithful to bikes all these years later. Not seen Snowy now for about four years though.

- Stefan Gats KKS69MCC