The Statement below has been released today by VFM regarding the Isle of Wight Scooter Rally (BSRA Event Number 6), due to take place at Sandown Airport over the August Bank Holiday weekend of 28-31 August 2020.
POSTPONEMENT NOTICE
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic VFM* have taken the decision to postpone the Isle of Wight International Scooter Rally for 2020.
The safety of scooterists, bands, our scooter rally crew and the Isle of Wight residents is paramount. We are not prepared to compromise that. We have been constantly monitoring the government updates and feel that, currently, this is the only safe option.
Under the current restrictions we would be unable to deliver the level of event that the IOW Rally deserves. Thank you to all our fellow scooterists that have shown patience, support and understanding whilst we have worked through this unprecedented situation.
For those that have purchased VFM 2020 AAA tickets, these will remain valid for the 2021 IOW Rally (saving you money and gaining you a free rally patch for your loyalty and support).
All enquiries please to: vfmshows@yahoo.co.uk
Until we ride again, stay safe.
VFM* – by scooterists, for scooterists
Here at ScooterNova we fully support VFM and the other BSRA members who organise events, and who have been forced to make some extremely difficult decisions during 2020.
All we can add to the above statement is that as VFM say, first and foremost it is the health and safety of ALL concerned that matter the most.
Regardless of any general news stories of what others are doing in parks and beaches around the country, we should consider the effect that thousands of scooterists from the mainland descending on the Isle of Wight may have on the locals there.
We must also think about the scooter rally organisers and stewards who would not only be running the event but would also have to police social-distancing policies, even if a licence for such an event was granted.
The ‘scooter rally equation’ of sooterists + alcohol + friends + music does not equal social distancing. We all know that. However unlikely some may consider the possibility, nobody wants to see anyone catch the virus simply because we want to go to a scooter rally.
There is plenty to debate of course, from whether locals would want outsiders taking up valuable drinking space in their local pub (reopening was announced today, but at restricted capacity) to how likely it might be to catch any kind of virus from a portable toilet on a scooter rally campsite, but for now I think the best thing anyone can do is stay positive and look forward to the time when life returns to what we as scooterists refer to as normal.
Take care, stay safe and good luck with those long-postponed garage projects. You are still working on them, right?
* ScooterNova is an independent scooter magazine, produced by scooterists for scooterists. ScooterNova is printed in the UK and sold via mail-order and through scooter shops around the world. For further information and subscription details please visit our website at www.scooternova.com
