Other Side of the Moon Rally

Organised by Mayflower MCC at Billericay Town Football Club, their clubhouse at that time in 86/87.

The name is from a comment by one of their members something about a long distance rally may as well be on the other side of the moon so far as they were concerned! I can't remember the precise comment, but there are plenty of Mayflower members out there who can correct me!

Things nearly got of hand when we saw Sid Beaumont being dangled over the edge of the balcony

 

The week before this rally had been spent up and around the North of Scotland doing the Mad Scots Rally and the Scottish Castles Photographic Rally with Jim Waugh from the Tee's Tornadoes. The two weeks before that were spent in the Isle of Man for the TT.

I had arrived home with a bald back tyre, (new for the TT!) and the baffles missing from the exhaust of the Kawasaki 750 I was running then.

Friday night was spent in an intense bout of playing mechanics, fitting a new tyre and my modified exhaust system complete with stainless baffle tubes and collector box. (Well I had to pass my time at work doing something useful, some of the time!)

The Saturday morning run down to the rally at Billericay was straightforward, but boring. After three weeks of perfect riding it was a culture shock to be back on motorways and in the traffic jams of the South East!

The campsite was fine, as expected at a Mayflower event, and we had the use of all the football club's facilities.

I seem to remember a bit of controversy over the choice of band for Saturday night, but I wasn't bothered; the beer and company were good! Things nearly got of hand when we saw Sid Beaumont being dangled over the edge of the balcony in the hall by his shirt (He could have hurt someone if he had landed on them!) Sid only seemed concerned that the press studs on his favourite denim shirt had been damaged! So the evening carried on in its usual good natured boisterous way!

Sunday was a 200 mile headache up the A1/M1!

- Ted Trett

Start of quotation The correct comment regarding the name of the Other Side of the Moon was when some of our, shall we say less adventurous, members thought that a Rally 35 miles away was too far and Ken Horwood (Club Secretary at the time) said that it wasn't the Other Side of the Moon, hence the name of the Rally. End of quotation

- Graham Butler