ACU National Road Rally 2018

This year four Burton Section members took part in the Road Rally, Mick Leach, Clive Martin, John Grew and Eddy Grew.

The idea of the rally is to devise a route that contains the number of controls and the mileage which suits the award you intend to go for.

With your final instructions you receive a control map in diagrammatic form, setting out all the controls and the permitted links between them, together with official mileages for these links. It is up to you what roads you use to travel between controls, but the official mileages must be used for your calculations.

You choose where you start or finish, local to home or slightly further afield, making the distance completed as short or as long as you want. From 100 miles to the 540 miles if you.

For years the Rally was a 24 hour event but in recent times there are several options for riders who want a shorter event.

Mick chose to start and finish at the Burton control which was at the sports club just opposite Marston's brewery.  John and Eddy started at Kegworth and finished at Burton.  The category entered was the daytime one where you start at midday on Saturday and finish by 10.00 pm.

Mick's report is below along with a list of controls he visited and a photograph of the Ariel that he used.

Clive Martin came up with the following route which we used, I was apprehensive to say the least at the  thought of using the M1 as part of the route  between Barnsley and Clumber Park riding a 1953 Ariel but I  needn't have worried as most of the country was occupied watching the England v Sweden game and  traffic was light.  We both had a great Saturday afternoon ride met some very agreeable people and will  certainly put the National on our to do list  again for next year.  Mick Leach

Control Leg Miles Running miles  
09 Burton 0 0  
46 Stafford 25 25  
55 Uttoxeter 20 45  
14 Congleton 25 70  
62 Woolley Bridge 25 95 Virtual Control
05 Barnsley 25 120
43 Rotherham 25 145 Virtual Control
13 Clumber Park 25 170  
21 Grantham 30 200 Virtual Control
50 Syston 25 225  
30 Kegworth 25 250  
09 Burton 25 275  
       
 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In last year's rally John and Eddy Grew rode their vintage eligible Matchless and Vincent machines.  This year they both rode their Yamaha Tracer's.

Their chosen controls were: Kegworth, Syaton, Grantham, Lincoln, Gainsborough, Rotherham, Barnsley, Woolley Bridge, Congleton, Whitchurch, Stafford and Burton to total 280 miles.

A photograph below of John and Eddy at their Kegworth starting control and also a photograph of three riders who were doing a full distance 520 mile route on C90 Honda step through scooters.  It just goes to show that you can ride anything you like and make the the rally as challenging as you want to.  Perhaps you ought to give it a try next year.

 

You can read more about the history of the ACU Road Rally the link below.  The "Jean" mentioned in that history was running the control again at Gainsborough this year.  She had her the dad's control card and rally paperwork from the 1939  event and after stamping John and Eddy's control cards made them a very nice cup of tea.  It is that kind of event. ACU Road Rally History