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The Flying 8 Balls
There’s something about the Flying 8 Balls annual rally
that draws scooter riders from near and far. It’s certainly
not the biggest rally, nor is there an abundance of trade
stands, but there is a certain atmosphere about it that
drags scooterists back year after year.
T
he rally is held in two small fields
opposite The Angel public house in the
middle of nowhere, by the A11 between
Thetford and Norwich, not far from Snetterton
race track. The ride down to Kings Lynn from
Lincoln is not the most interesting stage
of the trip – apart from encountering the
horde of riders from L&NSRC flashing past
us. Once past Kings Lynn the ride gets more
interesting, especially through the forest
stages. We were lucky the forecasted rain
held off so we arrived at the rally dry.
As usual we were warmly welcomed into
the site by members of the Flying 8 Balls and
ushered into the parking area. Entry to the
event is free and the club lay on self-service
tea and coffee with an honesty box, together
with a barbecue for burgers and hotdogs.
Club merchandise was also on sale (why do I
always have to buy a ‘T’?!). So, after a quick
brew and the essential signing in for the LCGB
BSM Championship, we set off around the
site. It’s always a slow process because of the
time spent meeting old friends, catching up
with gossip and looking at the diverse array of
scooters. I find it strange that the usual tradestands regularly avoid this rally. In fact, only
one stand was present selling some essential
parts. There was, of course, Lambretta-Rehab
on hand with Jarv’s mobile workshop if anyone
needed emergency repairs.
Once again the awards were an innovative
design using Lambretta engine parts. The
winners were (in the words of Byron from the
Flying 8 Balls):
Best Lambretta:Chris - nice Series I.
Best Turned-out Club:The Lincs crew, who
did look good coming down the hill to the pub- all proper ridden Lambrettas.
Furthest Travelled:That'll be Nick Prince.
Sausage Trophy:Nelly's Chopper.
After an excellent lunch at The Angel pub
and another quick round of chatting, we set
off for home. Unfortunately, we had hardly
travelled a couple of miles when the heavens
opened and continued to rain on and off all the
way back to Kings Lynn.
Once back in Lincolnshire, however, the sun
came out and the roads were dry – Norfolk’s
micro-climate struck again.
David Brown
Additional images: Terry Brown
May 28-30, 2019