This was my fourth year at marshalling at what is the biggest biking event in UK if not in Europe. The reduced limit of 5000 for the Memba Rally brought about by ironically a now abortive land sale meant that the revised layout of the campsite now sprawled across the entire site. With more dog legs on the perimeter fences than in previous years this resulted in a much harder perimeter to patrol. Coupled with the fact that some key senior posts were sadly missing resulted in things being a little less than organised! As the weekend went on things improved although some marshals had by then hang-up their 'Day-Glo' tabards which didn't help matters, Had some supervisors done this we reckoned things would have improved.
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6.00 pm and the gates open to 5000 bikes
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Back stage Security - All VSOC members
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At the VSOC stand, business was booming as usual and many new members where recruited on the spot. Attendance at the show was nearly 5,000 up on last year at 86,526, making this the second most successful event in the BMF Show’s 41 year history, just 400 visitors short of 1999’s all-time record attendance.
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At the Show ground arena there was something always on be it Vintage Speedway, Moped racing, Jumpin' Jake Semtex but no Kangaroo Kid due to technical problems.
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Friday's Line up of bands were Delltones, Hooker and Bon Giovi. I am not sure whether I put it to the acoustics in the Cow Shed or how much cider I drank, whatever, this year all the bands sounded sub standard.
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Although this year there was no bonfire for people to burn themselves on, the Cow Shed being a hard concrete floor produced a fair share of injuries as some people tend to fall over when they are drunk, one guy I escorted to the medics ended up with 9 stitches on his eyebrow, another, a girl fell of her partners shoulders and ended up being taken away in an ambulance with a suspected back injury, not forgetting a certain bare arse climbing the rafters - god forbid if he would have fallen! |
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