Southport 2022: National Scooter Rally
In the north-west of England, on the coast of the Irish Sea, lies the town of Southport, which serves as a recreational area for the stressed-out people of Liverpool. The city's most famous son is probably the singer and songwriter Marc Almond, who created the hit "Tainted Love" with the band Soft Cell in the early 1980s - now a pop evergreen. But the "Southport National Scooter Rally", organised by the Lambretta Club Great Britain (LCGB) around Paul Hudson, also has a loyal fan base beyond the country's borders. SIP Scootershop did not miss the opportunity to send a crew of four and three custom scooters to the island to honour this event from 28 to 30 October 2022.
Four people and three Vespas
On Wednesday, Sandra, Robert, Fabi and Steve set off on their journey and arrived in Dover in the evening, where they spent the night. The next day they continued to Southport and after checking into the hotel, they headed straight for Liverpool, where various regional specialities could be tasted and drunk.
Unfortunately, the original location, an old theatre, was not available this year, so the SIP stand had to be set up in Splashworld. The Custom Show, in turn, was in the Market Hall, about ten minutes' walk away. There Steve set about sprucing up the three scooters so that they shone in fine splendour: the Vespa "Something Special", the Vespa Rally 200 and the Vespa GTS Pordoi.
The show and fair started at 10am on Saturday. "For the English, it's traditionally the last event of the year and they celebrate it accordingly," reports Robert, who has been to Southport several times. "Anyway, the nighters were well attended on both days." But the SIP stand was also busy around the clock and Lambretta and Vespa fans were delighted to see the SIP gang in attendance. "People are just happy when they also see a face from the SIP staff and we are not just an anonymous online shop," explains Robert. "A very big topic was Brexit and the additional taxes that would be incurred as a result. There, the enthusiasm was limited. But overall, the mood was very positive and many people thanked SIP Scootershop for their exemplary service."
Two cups for SIP Scootershop
Meanwhile, in the Market Hall, around 40 Vespas and Lambrettas could be admired in the Custom Show. Steve's polish on our scooters paid off and the SIP crew was able to bring home two trophies. The "Something Special" won in the category "Best Custom Chopper/Cutdown" and the Rally 200 bagged the trophy for "Best Ridden Vespa Pre-P Range/T5". We would like to thank the apparently very knowledgeable judges ;)
These successes were duly celebrated in the evening at the "Prince Of Wales Hotel". There was live music and DJs on several levels. And, of course, there was plenty of food and stimulating drinks to go with it. Anyone who can remember it was not there.
On Sunday, it was time to dismantle and start the long journey home. After an overnight stay in Calais, the triumphant entry through the Landsberg city gates took place on Monday. "It was a very nice event and we had a cool group at the start," Fabi sums up. "And the visitors were all in a good mood too, so we'll be happy to come back." For Sandra, it was not only her first visit to a Scooter Rally, but also her first trip to England: "The experience was great and I thank SIP for letting me be part of it. I'll do it again any time."
Robert looks back with a tear in his eye: "Unfortunately, it may have been the last event in Southport, if I understood the organiser correctly. That would be a great pity because I always enjoyed being here. My thanks to the organisers and warm guests of the show."
If you would like to know more about the Lambretta, we recommend our blog Modellkunde. We also give you good tips about tuning for Vespa and Lambretta.
Video: Southport 2022
