Tam O Shanter Rally

The Tam O Shanter Rally (ToS) is held every April in Ayrshire. It's an invite only rally so the location isn't publicised.
If you want to be invited take a look on www.MercuryMCC.org and you'll find details of the rally and rally sec's e-mail.

It's a fairly trad rally, based around a large village hall. There are bands on the Friday and Saturday evenings. Good food, very cheap beer, but most of all a damn good craic!!

Most folk who attend the Tam O Shanter have been doing so for years. The badges colour or design often means something significant. The "20 Year" badge is obvious, but the others maybe not so obvious:

The Large Pewter badge (no enamel) is the ToS 25 year anniversary badge (The next ToS anniversary badge will be for 30 years!)

The Gold badge (no enamel) marks the 50th anniversary of Mercury MCC.

The badge with the diamond instead of the bobble (my own design btw) marked the 60th Anniversary of Mercury MCC in 2006. Rally trophies for that year were etched crystals with illuminated bases (Don't be expecting that every year!!)

See you at the Tam O Shanter!

Miti-Babe

The Tam O'Shanter was expected to expire after the tenth rally according to premature reports in MCN. The following 1988 Road Rider report by Terry Snelling was sent in by John Newitt.

MOTOR CYCLE NEWS, 1988

Is it last Tam?

MERCURY MCC may have run their last Tam O'Shanter Rally.

At the recent gathering in Ayrshire rumours were rife that it was the tenth and last.

Guesses were that the Glasgow club's April event year will have a changed format, name and location. But the Club would say nothing official.

Local character Alan Gilmore made the news by putting his 750 Honda outfit in a ditch on his way to collect his wife, Wee Rita. He bent the ex-Paul Everard home made forks. He said he'll never ride another outfit!

Awards: Oldest rider - Bill Cormack (65), on a BMW R100 RT from Keith, Banffshire; Long Distance – joint award to Mike Mather (Honda 360) and Stephen Tremain (Yamaha XS250) both from Twits MCC, London (454 miles), and female award to Amanda Coney from Essex (442 miles); Best bike – BSA A10 of P D O'Sullivan from Cannock, Staffs; Club award – Dean Valley MCC; Special awards to all those who have attended all ten rallies to Nigel Woodthorpe (broke down twice en route, ran out of petrol and dog ate his pork pies),

Bill Cormack ... oldest

 

Jerry Loy, Paul Everard, Jim Twaddle, Jim Richmond, Stuart Lindsay, Fast Eddie Hall and Gordon Findlay.

Never believe what you read in the newspapers - Nigel scoffed his own pies!