Snow covered mountains en route to 
Beaufort West...cold!

Mark (hubby), Wayne (my son) and me (Warriors Cape Town) left on Friday afternoon and braved the winter cold and bad N1 road to Beaufort West. The trip was interrupted by various road works and stops. There were surprisingly few traffic cops on the way there!   

The rally was held on the Beaufort West Showground and had ample trees for shade and grass for camping, although with the cold, shade was not required. More than adequate ablution facilities made it a pleasure! Only a few bikers braved the cold and pitched tents; the majority stayed in town where accommodation was relatively cheap. The food stalls were mainly manned by the locals with braaivleis, roosterkoek and potjiekos some of the big favourites, although the Curry King’s dishes really made a difference in the winter weather.  

Jacques and Norah

Friday night was time to meet up with old and new friends around the fires that were kept burning 24 hours a day. The nights’ entertainment was not the usual old strip shows, etc. – rather just good music and the Miss Scorpion competition.

The early morning (8.30am) mass ride was not very successful, It was just too cold and too early! However, the organisers also laid on two  off-road routes that were a huge success. As you can imagine, off-road biking is very big in the Karoo. In fact, the organisers were exceptionaly efficient and made a great effort to pull off a successful rally for all. As there were only about 200 entrants the organisers were able to mingle and took the time to speak with everyone, seeking feedback and suggestions for next year's event.

I was disappointed by the poor turnout by Cape Town bikers, although a few old friends did make the best of it; a group from The Syndicate (Winelands), Andre from StreetMetal as well as a few Weskus bikers (Koos, Daleen, Henk & Henry).  The majority of bikers were from George, Mossel Bay and surrounding areas.  This is not your typical rally, but it is definitely a great “kuier” rally where you can unwind and enjoy fellow bikers! 

The band for the weekend was 'Addicted'; one of the best I have heard in a long time. This two-man band is Cape Town based and I could really recommend them. They can be reached on 0829228187 or at capesound@gmail.co.za.

"Addicted" doing their stuff

Quarter mile drags and slow drags were arranged on Saturday afternoon for the superbikes. A Suzuki GSX1000 claimed first place in the quarter mile. Second was a Kawasaki ZX14 and third, a Huyabusa.  John Peel (the oldest biker on the strip) had a shaky start when flipped his Pan European. John was hospitalised overnight for observation but fortunately no broken bones or serious damage. The same could not be said of the bike – it was a mess!   

The quarter mile drag

Saturday night fun included down-down competitions. The lucky draw prize giving was not drawn out, with numerous prizes of accommodation handed out.

On Sunday we rode back to Cape Town via the scenic route through Oudtshoorn; a welcome relieve from the boring/bad N1.   

A big thank you to the Karoo Scorpions and Beaufort West Rotary Club for a well organized event. We will definitely be there next year. I only hope that more Cape Town bikers will brave the cold! 

Norah & son Wayne