Farndale Rally
Another good rally. If I didn't have the badge I would have sworn I didn't go!
Looking back at the Megaphone from 1969 it appears that the rally was organised by the York 66 Riders at the Lion Inn, Blakey Ridge and cost 5/- (That is 25p in decibels)
Yeah, the Farndale was a winter and summer rally. I went to three; winter January - follow snow plough in and also to get out! Ace, snow packed round tents to make a real igloo!
Yeah, the Farndale was a winter and summer rally. I went to three; winter January - follow snow plough in and also to get out! Ace, snow packed round tents to make a real igloo!
- Stefan Gats KKS69MCC
The die-hard rally enthusiast Stefan Gatz is not exaggerating in his brief description above of the extreme weather conditions at this January 1969 gathering. A quick glance at the two photos below, taken at that very rally, is enough to get a more precise, personal idea of the snow cover that weekend.
This young motorcyclist, then 17 years old, posing with his venerable AJS twin machine to immortalize the moment, is none other than Stefan Gatz himself.
Below, the same metal steed, but this time presenting its best side to the photographer, and ridden by Stefan its owner, whose attire, typical of that bygone era, gives him the air of a kind of modern-day knight, encased in his leather armor, seeming to have stepped straight out of a Miguel de Cervantes novel.
The world sleeps beneath a blanket of white. While icy winds begin to bite.
Bare branches shiver in the frosty air. A silent, still, and cold affair.
It seems (though I'm not entirely certain), based on the number of badges I know of produced by the organizing club (the York 66 Riders) of this winter rally, that the very first meeting likely took place in 1967, and that the last in the series was held in 1971.
- Jean-Francois Helias
I attended this rally in 1971 with my uncle. I was pillion then. It started me on my rally addiction the following year. For eight years I did the Elephant, all down to this great rally.
I have some old pictures but don't know if I can upload them here.
- Brian
Attach copies of scanned photos to an email and send to ben @ honsec.co.uk (remove spaces). For more information on sending pictures see Frequently Asked Questions.